INITIAL DEVELOPMENT OF AÇAÍ PALM SEEDLINGS UNDER DIFFERENT SUBSTRATES AND WATER-CONDITIONING AGENTS: A COMPARATIVE PHENOTYPIC ASSESSMENT

Abstract

]The açaí palm (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) has high socioeconomic importance, and seedling quality is a determining factor for successful establishment after transplanting. This study evaluated the initial development of açaí seedlings subjected to different substrates and water-conditioning agents. The experiment was conducted in a teaching nursery using a completely randomized design, with five treatments and five replications, over 30 days. Plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves, survival, and phenotypic characteristics of the shoot and root systems were evaluated. The treatments comprised two commercial hydrogels, sandy-textured soil, commercial substrate, and a 1:1 (v/v) mixture of sandy soil and commercial substrate. The results indicated differences among treatments for plant height and stem diameter, with higher values associated with the commercial substrate and the mixture of sandy soil and commercial substrate. After 30 days, T5 showed the highest mean plant height (35.0 cm) and stem diameter (4.96 mm), whereas T3 presented the lowest values. The number of leaves did not differ significantly among treatments. The hydrogel treatments showed 100% survival, whereas T4 showed 80% survival. It is concluded that the composition of the growing medium influences the initial growth of seedlings, highlighting the need for further assessments of the physical and water-related properties of the substrates.