Use of effective microorganisms and fitomas-e® to increase the growth and quality of pepper (Capsicum annuum l.) seedlings

Abstract

The agricultural bio-products based on effective microorganisms (EM) are a suitable alternative to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and have a positive effect on the growth and development of plants. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the effect of EM and FitoMas-E® on the production of pepper seedlings (Capsicum annuum L.). The experiment was carried out in an organoponic garden in the municipality of Matanzas, Cuba. It was constituted for four treatments: control (without application of bio-products), EM (4 mL m-2), FitoMas-E® (0.1 mL m-2) and EM (4 mL m-2) + FitoMas-E® (0.1 mL m-2). A randomized block design was performed with three replications per treatment. One-way analysis of variance was performed to determine differences among treatments and Duncan´s Multiple Range Test for media comparison. Seedling height, number of leaves per seedling, stem diameter, root length, slenderness index, fresh and dry weight of leaf and root and shoot/root ratio based on dry weight data were determined. The application of EM and FitoMas-E® had a positive effect on the growth and quality of the pepper seedlings under nursery condition. The treatment 4 showed the best results regarding the morphological parameters: plant height (17.19 cm), number of leaves (6.01), stem diameter (3.98 mm), root length (8.82 cm) as well as fresh and dry weight of leaves and roots. The combined application of EM and FitoMas-E showed to be effective in promoting the growth of roots and aerial organs but maintaining a shoot/root ratio ranged from 1.28 to 2.5, which are suitable values in order to obtain quality pepper seedlings.