Emergence and initial development of Mimosa caesalpiniifolia Benth. seedlings for different substrates.

The present study assessed the effects of different substrates on the emergence and initial development of Mimosa caesalpiniifolia Benth seedlings. For this purpose an experiment was done in a greenhouse of the Department of Plant Sciences of Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Arido (UFERSA), Mossoro-RN. The statistical design was completely randomized (CRD), where treatments were composed of nine substrates (T1: vermiculite, T2: coconut fiber, T3: trade hortimix®, T4: vermiculite, coconut fiber and compost (1: 1:1), T5: coconut fiber and compost (1:1), T6: coconut fiber and compost (1:2), T7: vermiculite and compost (1:1), T8, vermiculite and compost organic (1:2) and T9: organic compost). All treatments were represented by four replications containing 25 seeds. The following variables were evaluated: emergency percentage, emergence rate index, length of shoot and root, stem diameter, dry leaves, stem, root and total leaf area, specific leaf area, leaf area ratio, and leaf weight ratio. Data were submitted to the Tukey test at 5% probability. The coconut fiber substrates, commercial hortimix® and vermiculite proved superior promoted good emergence and early development of seedlings. The mixture of vermiculite, coconut fiber and compost (1:1:1), coconut fiber and compost (1:1), coconut fiber and compost (1:2) and organic compost and vermiculite (1: 1) was not shown to be adequate for the cultivation of seedlings. There was no emergency in the pure organic compound in the mixture of compost and vermiculite (1:2).