Waste use as substrate to yield guava seedlings

Abstract

The guava tree (Psidium guajava L.), considered a rustic plant, can be found growing naturally in low-fertility soils. However, when commercially cultivated it needs considerable amounts of fertilizers and soil correctives to attain good yields. These special measures for cultivation start with choice of a suitable substrate to grow good-quality seedlings, allowing them to reach their full productive potential. The aim of this work was to study the effect of different substrates (S1 - soil, S2 - vermiculite+soil+fine sand, S3 - cattle manure+soil+fine sand, S 4 - commercial substrate+soil+fine sand, S5 - urban compost+soil+fine sand, S6 - sewage sludge+soil+fine sand, S 7 - earthworm compost+soil+fine sand, S8 - chopped sugarcane bagasse+soil+fine sand, and S9 - sugarcane filter cake+soil+fine sand) in completely randomized design with four replicates on the development and nutritional state of guava seedlings. The result showed that the best substrates were vermiculite+soil+fine sand; earthworm compost+soil+fine sand; sugarcane bagasse+soil+fine sand, and filter cake+soil+fine sand. The use of sewage sludge and urban trash compost should be further studied for the composition of substrates.