Efeito de diferentes substratos e preparado homeopático na produção de mudas de Adenium obesum (Forssk) Roem. & Schult

Abstract

The floriculture and ornamental plants segment is defined as the set of productive and commercial activities of plant species cultivated for ornamental purposes. Adenium obesum (Forssk) Roem. & Schult., Desert Flower, is included among these species and is widely disseminated in the ornamental market in Brazil and worldwide. One of the challenges of ornamental production is the search for the best and cheapest substrate that is considered an essential input. For the production of seedlings in general, the principles of Agrohomeopathy have been used more effectively through homeopathic preparations that have become an alternative technology to fertilizers and chemical pesticides. The objective of this work was to evaluate the production of Adenium obesum seedlings cultivated in different substrates and submitted to the application of a homeopathic preparation in the search for the best association in terms of development and cost reduction. The substrates used were: 1 - Commercial substrate; 2 - Universal substrate; 3 - Coconut Fiber + Vermiculite + Subsoil; 4 - Coconut Fiber + Perlite + Subsoil; 5 - Coconut Fiber + Surface soil + Subsoil; 6 - Coconut Powder + Vermiculite + Subsoil; 7 - Coconut Powder + Perlite + Subsoil and 8 - Coconut Powder + Surface soil + Subsoil. The homeopathic preparation used was composed of Calcarea carbonica 12 CH; Kali carbonicum 12 CH; Natrum muriaticum 12 CH and Phosphorus 12 CH, used in foliar application. The statistical design was in Randomized Blocks, in the scheme of subdivided plots, being the main plot the homeopathy (with and without) and the subplot, the substrates. The variables evaluated were Percentage of Germination; Percentage of Survival; Plant Heights; Stem Diameters; Number of Leaves; Green Mass Weight of Leaves, Stem and Root and Dry Mass Weight of Leaves, Stem and Root. The data were submitted to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and analyzed by Tukey's Test at 5%. The homeopathy had a positive influence in all the variables studied. Substrate 2 obtained the best averages in all variables, except for root dry mass weight, in function of the use or not of homeopathy. The production cost of substrate 2 is R$ 630,00/m³, being the second lowest value of the evaluated ones. The best combination for a better development and reduction in production costs of desert flower seedlings was the association of substrate 2 with the application of homeopathy.