Evaluación de métodos químicos y mecánicos para promover la germinación de semillas y producción de fosforitos en café (Coffea arabica) var. catuaí rojo

Abstract

The experiment was carried out in the open at the Escuela Técnica Robinsoniana Aragua de Maturin, located in the capital of Piar municipality Monagas State in order to evaluate the effect of different coffee seed scarification treatments on germination and formation of match seedlings. Selected coffee seeds of variety Catuai Red from Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agrícolas were used. Washed river sand was used as a substrate, it was disinfected with boiling water and put in garden type trays 12 × 40 × 15 cm. The three treatments with mechanical scarification were without water immersion and immersion for 24 and 48 hours, all six treatments employing chemical stratification with battery acid (Copper®) and muriatic acid (Opin®) for 10, 20 and 30 minutes of immersion; moreover, two treatments with immersion in water for 24 and 48 hours and the control treatment was the used one for coffee producer (without scarification and immersion). The experimental design was a randomized complete block with 12 treatments and four replications. The experimental unit consisted of 50 seeds. Evaluations were carried out at 25, 30, 40 and 50 days after sowing (DAS). Treatments where coffee seeds were subjected to mechanical scarification and water immersion for 24 and 48 hours showed the highest values of germination and formation of match seedlings, in which, it was found that over 60% of germination occurred at 25 days and formation of match seedlings occurred at 30 DAS. Chemical scarification treatments using commercial products with muriatic acid and battery acid did not have any advantage in relation to the control.