Vegetative development of orchid hybrid in different substrates

Abstract

For commercial production of orchids, it is essential to use a good substrate, and the selection of this material is very important to evaluate aspects of the economic, physical, chemical, biological, and ecological points of view. The aim of this study was to evaluate the development of clones of BLC Nan Chang Silk ‘Olimpic Torch’ on different substrates. The substrates were: T1: tree fern fiber “xaxim” (control), T2: coconut fiber, T3: composted pine bark, T4: plant coal, T5: composted pine bark + coconut fiber (1:1 v/v) T6: coconut fiber + plant coal (1:1 v/v), T7: plant coal + composted pine bark (1:1 v/v), T8: plant coal + composted pine bark + coconut fiber ( 1:1:1 v/v/v). The seedlings were grown in pots of polypropylene, kept in a nursery with 80% of brightness. We evaluated 24 months after the start of the experiment: number of pseudobulbs, the lenght of pseudobulbs, height of the plant area, height of the aerial part / lenght of the pseudobulbs and pH and electrical conductivity of the substrate. Based on the parameters of vegetative development it was concluded that all the evaluated substrates can be efficiently used for the cultivation of BLC Nan Chang Silk ‘Olimpic Torch’.