Crescimento inicial de plantas de alface (Lactuca sativa L.) cultivadas em substratos alternativos.

Abstract

In Brazil, the main leafy vegetable cultivated and consumed is lettuce, which is justified by its short cycle, making it a good option for producers with small cultivation areas. To produce strong and resistant seedlings, it is essential that the substrate provides nutrients in adequate quantities. In this sense, organic waste can be a good alternative for cultivation, since they are often rich in nutrients and are characterized as a way to minimize production costs. The present study aimed to evaluate the initial development of curly lettuce seedlings of the Camila variety (Topseed®) grown in alternative substrates based on organic mixtures. The experiment was conducted from May to July 2023 at the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Piauí (IFPI) - São João do Piauí Campus. A completely randomized design with seven treatments and four replicates was used. The treatments consisted of different materials to obtain the substrates, being commercial substrate, cured sheep manure, sand and ash, and the proportions were [T1: Commercial Substrate, T2: Manure + Sand (1:1), T3: Manure + Sand + Ash (1:1:1), T4: Manure + Sand (2:1), T5 Manure + Sand + Ash (2:1:1), T6: Manure + Sand (3:1), T7: Manure + Sand + Ash (3:1:1)]. The variables analyzed were seedling height, stem diameter (neck), root length, dry mass of the aerial part and dry mass of the roots. According to the data obtained, it was observed that the treatment T6 - Sheep manure + Sand 3:1 and T7 composed of sheep manure + sand + ash (3:1:1), generally obtained the best results, for the variables analyzed, both in the morphological and productive aspects, characterizing themselves, under these evaluated conditions, as a low-cost alternative for the production of lettuce seedlings in agriculture.