Substrate Mixing Formulations for Citrus Nursery Management

Abstract

The length of citrus seedling development is determined by several factors, including the physical and chemical qualities of the substrate, which affect rootstock growth and, as a result, the quality of field seedlings. The purpose of this study was to see how the ‘Swingle’ citrumelo rootstock developed with different substrate formulations. The experiment was carried out in a seedling nursery from seeding to grafting, and six treatments were carried out, as follows: 60% peat moss, 30% fine grade horticultural vermiculite, 10% rice hulls (1); 60% peat moss, 30% fine grade horticultural vermiculite, 10% rice hulls (2); 50% peat moss, 30% fine grade horticultural vermiculite, 20% rice hulls (3); 50% peat moss, 30% fine grade horticultural vermiculite, 20% rice hulls (4); 50% peat moss, 20% fine grade horticultural vermiculite, 30% rice hulls (5); 50% peat moss, 20% fine grade horticultural vermiculite, 30% rice hulls (6). In addition, the experiment was divided into two stages: seeding (stage 1) and seedling nursery (stage 2). In a completely randomized design, the experiment has six treatments, four replications, and 51 plants per plot. When container transplanting was performed, the emergence percentage of seedlings was determined; thus, eight plants per plot were examined. For the second stage, was used a completely randomized design with 6 substrate formulations, 4 replications, and 20 seedlings per plot. Stem height, stem diameter, leaf number, area meter, root dry matter, leaf and stem dry matter, and quality index were measured on seedlings every 28 days. All substrate formulations improved seedling development until grafting, except for the 30% rice hulls, which hampered seedling development in ‘Swingle' citrumelo.

Pine Bark Ratio in Substrate for Citrus Rootstock Nursery Production

“…The growth dynamics of the tested rootstocks were similar to those of the 'Cravo' rootstock when grown in a pine bark-based substrate (de Almeida et al, 2012). However, they were not similar to the Swingle Citrumelo, which exhibited the most growth during months four and five after transplanting (Sauer-Liberato et al, 2021).…”

“…Sour Orange had the least height and stem diameter, regardless of the substrate. Sauer-Liberato et al (2021) found that Swingle Citrumelo (Citrus paradisi Macf. × Poncirus trifoliata L.) had a plant height of 106.8 cm and a stem diameter of 8 mm after five and a half months of being transplanted into 4 L polyethylene bags.…”

SUBSTRATOS FORMULADOS COM BIOSSÓLIDO E CASCA DE OVO NA PRODUÇÃO DE MUDAS DE Handroanthus chrysotrichus

“…Dessa forma, o crescente aumento na procura por mudas de espécies nativas tem ressaltado a necessidade de desenvolver protocolos que aprimorem a produção de mudas de alta qualidade, capazes de atender às exigências em campo para futuras plantações (FARIA et al, 2017). Assim, para obter mudas de qualidade é essencial considerar a formulação dos substratos (LIBERATO et al, 2021;DIAS et al, 2022). O uso de resíduos orgânicos na produção de mudas florestais é viável devido aos teores de nutrientes presentes nesses resíduos e à solução para problemas de destinação enfrentados pelas empresas.…”