Substratos a base de fibra de coco para produção de mudas pré-brotadas de cana-de-açúcar

Abstract

The successful establishment of sugarcane pre-sprouted seedlings (PSS) is directly related to the substrate used for cultivation. Coconut fiber, an industrial byproduct with high potential as a substrate, has become a viable alternative in response to increasing demand. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of substrate fertilization and foliar fertilization, as well as to examine the effect of substrate washing on the growth of PSS. To this end, two experiments were conducted simultaneously, in which biometric and physiological characteristics of the seedlings were analyzed. Substrate fertilization led to increases of 50% in leaf area and 41% in shoot dry mass, while foliar fertilization resulted in increases of 27% and 15%, respectively. Other variables showed less expressive responses. The results indicate that substrate fertilization was more effective in promoting plant growth, suggesting that the combination of both practices may be explored to optimize production. Additionally, it was found that washing the coconut fiber with electrical conductivity (EC) up to 1.06 mS cm⁻¹ is not necessary to improve the efficiency of the growing medium.