PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES OF YELLOW IPÊ SEEDLINGS TO DIFFERENT SUBSTRATES AND HYDROGEL APPLICATIONS

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the initial development of yellow ipê seedlings (Handroanthus serratifolius) grown under different substrate compositions and water conditioners, with emphasis on the effects of two commercial hydrogels on plant growth. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse at the Federal University of Piauí, Brazil, using a completely randomized design with five treatments and five replicates. The treatments consisted of commercial substrate, commercial substrate + soil, soil + commercial hydrogel A, soil + commercial hydrogel B, and soil as the control. After 44 days, plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves, and fresh root mass were evaluated. Data were subjected to analysis of variance and, when significant, means were compared using Tukey’s test at 5% probability. No significant differences were observed for plant height or number of leaves. Stem diameter was significantly affected by the treatments (p = 0.003), with the highest mean observed in seedlings grown in commercial substrate (3.13 mm). Fresh root mass also showed a significant effect according to ANOVA (p = 0.039), with the highest mean recorded for commercial substrate (13.40 g). It was concluded that commercial substrate provided the best overall initial performance of the seedlings, whereas the hydrogels showed potential as water conditioners.