Water regime and substrate influence the growth of Eugenia uniflora seedlings

Abstract

Eugenia uniflora is a fruit tree of the Myrtaceae family, native to Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay that has high potential for use in landscape and environmental projects, food and pharmaceutical industry. However, information on the production of quality seedlings is still scarce. The objective was to identify the appropriate substrate and its characteristics, in relation to the water regime for the production of E. uniflora seedlings. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design, in a factorial scheme, with four types of substrates being tested (S1: 100 % peat -commercial substrate (CS), S2: 80 % CS + 20 % Carbonized Rice Husk (CRH), S3: 60 % CS + 40 % CRH and S4: 40 % CS + 60 % CRH) and five water regimes (WR) (4, 8, 12, 16 and 20 mm day -1 ). Height, stem diameter, dry matter and Dickson's quality index were evaluated. Factors influenced the measured attributes in isolation. Seedlings grown in S1 showed the highest growth and accumulation of dry matter. Results are 72 % and 41 % higher than those shown by S3. Eugenia uniflora showed superior growth and quality of seedlings under smaller WR. The use of peat-based substrate, combined with the use of 4 to 8 mm WR day -1 , provides rapid development of E. uniflora seedlings in a nursery.

Strategies for optimizing the enrichment direct sowing: inoculation with Trichoderma spp. and use of a hydrogel

“…This polymer have the capacity to absorb water during periods of water availability and release it to the roots of plants when there is a deficit in the soil (Leciejewski, 2009). Previous studies have already shown positive effects of hydrogel on tree nursery-grown seedling development (Griebeler et al, 2022;Turchetto et al, 2020). However, studies that evaluate its effectiveness in direct sowing of forest species are scarce (Souza, 2022).…”

“…Inoculation of Trichoderma spp. and hydrogel application already have been tested in forestry and agriculture to promote increased germination and growth of seedlings in nursey, maximize water availability, and improve microclimatic and edaphic conditions in the field (Griebeler et al, 2022;Racic et al, 2018;Sankar et al, 2019), however, its potential beneficial effects on tree species performances in direct seeding techniques for forest restoration have not been studied yet. Thus, the study was carried out to evaluate the influence of the use of Trichoderma asperelloides and hydrogel alone, or in combination, in the direct sowing of five native forest tree species as a strategy for the enrichment of the area in the initial restoration process, in the extreme south of the Atlantic Forest Biome.…”