QUALIDADE E DESENVOLVIMENTO INICIAL DE MUDAS DE ITAÚBA, EM TUBETES DE DIFERENTES VOLUMES

Abstract

Due to the stress conditions that changes in forest species encounter in the field, it is important that they present certain quality standards, as these will influence the survival and initial growth of forest changes after planting. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the influence of different container sizes on the quality and initial growth of Mezilaurus itauba (Meisn) Taub. ex Mez.; Itaúba. The experiment was conducted under nursery conditions, with standardized irrigation and fertilization for all treatments, in a completely randomized experimental design, with four treatments and 16 replications. At 100 days after transplanting the seedlings, it was found that the size of the containers significantly affects the development of the plant in terms of height, stem diameter, root length, fresh mass and dry mass of shoots and roots, total dry mass and seedling quality, evaluated by the Dickson Quality Index. According to the results obtained, the container with 280 cm3 is indicated for the cultivation of the species and its subsequent transplantation under field conditions. On the other hand, the 55, 110 and 180 cm3 containers should not be used for the evaluated species if the intention is to produce seedlings with higher quality.