Production of ‘Cravo’ lemon rootstocks as a function of alternative substrates and vermicompost slurry concentrations

Abstract

Alternative substrates and organic fertilization can be used to produce seedlings of different crops, including fruit species. However, their combined use for ‘Cravo’ lemon rootstock production has not been tested to date. Therefore, the present study evaluated different alternative substrates and vermicompost slurry concentrations applied via substrate in the production of 'Cravo' lemon tree rootstocks. The treatments included three alternative substrates, carbonized rice straw (CRS), carnauba bagana (CB) and their combination (TC+CB), and three vermicompost slurry concentrations: 0, 100 and 200 mL L^-1. The emergence speed index (ESI) was evaluated up to 25 days after sowing (DAS) and, at 95 DAS, the following morphological variables were evaluated: plant height, stem diameter, root length, root area, leaf area, shoot dry mass and root dry mass. Alternative substrates and vermicompost slurry concentrations significantly affected (p<0.05) the ESI and all morphological variables evaluated. Among the tested substrates, BC presented the best results. BC as an alternative substrate, combined with 100 and 200 mL L^-1 of vermicompost manure, positively affected root length, root area, leaf area and shoot dry mass. Therefore, BC associated with the application of vermicompost slurry maximizes the quality of 'Cravo' lemon tree rootstocks.