Disponibilidade hídrica e cinza vegetal no cultivo de gérberas de vaso

Abstract

The use of vegetal ash as an alternative source in fertilization added to the correct management of irrigation is an important tool in the production of ornamental plants. The objective of this study was to evaluate the development of gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii) plants under water availability and doses of vegetal ash. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse at the UFMT - Rondonópolis Campus. The experimental design was a randomized block in a 5 x 5 factorial scheme, with five soil moisture percentages (40, 60, 80, 100 and 120% of pot capacity) and five doses of vegetal ash (0, 8, 16, 24 and 32 g dm-3). The chosen culture was the Gerbera (cv. F1 Red, Festival Light eyes). The experimental units were composed of pots with a capacity of 2 dm3, filled with Oxisol and the dose of vegetal ash corresponding to each treatment. Were produced seedlings with commercial substrate in germination trays, and after a period of 30 days, one seedling was transplanted per pot. The water bulk corresponding to each water treatment was calculated from the pot capacity and irrigation was performed by the gravimetric method, and the differentiation between treatments was started at 30 days after transplanting. At 120 days after sowing were evaluated: Height of floral stems, number of leaves, total and open chapters, leaf area, diameter of flower stems and chapters, root bulk, fresh leaf mass, floral stems and chapters, spad index, available water, consumption and efficiency of water. The results were submitted to the Polynomial Regression test. Regarding the doses of vegetal ash, for variables that presented significance the observed response was linear increasing, except for SPAD index and available water that were quadratic. For water availability the predominant behavior was quadratic, except for the SPAD index that was linear decreasing. Thus, water availability showed the best results in the development of gerbera in a range between 68.23% and 84.58% of pot capacity, and as for vegetal ash, its introduction as an alternative source of fertilizer gradually increased production and efficiency of the use of water by gébera plants.