Waste use as substrate to yield guava seedlings

Resumo

The guava tree (Psidium guajava L.), considered a rustic plant, can be found growing naturally in low-fertility soils. However, when commercially cultivated it needs considerable amounts of fertilizers and soil correctives to attain good yields. These special measures for cultivation start with choice of a suitable substrate to grow good-quality seedlings, allowing them to reach their full productive potential. The aim of this work was to study the effect of different substrates (S1 – soil, S2 – vermiculite+soil+fine sand, S3 – cattle manure+soil+fine sand, S4 – commercial substrate+soil+fine sand, S5 – urban compost+soil+fine sand, S6 – sewage sludge+soil+fine sand, S7 – earthworm compost+soil+fine sand, S8 – chopped sugarcane bagasse+soil+fine sand, and S9 – sugarcane filter cake+soil+fine sand) in completely randomized design with four replicates on the development and nutritional state of guava seedlings. The result showed that the best substrates were vermiculite+soil+fine sand; earthworm compost+soil+fine sand; sugarcane bagasse+soil+fine sand, and filter cake+soil+fine sand. The use of sewage sludge and urban trash compost should be further studied for the composition of substrates.