Recipiente biodegradável e substrato elaborados com fibra de bananeira na produção de mudas de maracujá (Passiflora edulis Sims)

Research into the use of alternative materials for the production of seedlings has increased considerably, but there are several possibilities for components, and these must meet physical and chemical characteristics that ensure the full growth of cultivated plants. Fibers, husks and organic compounds from different sources form a large part of the materials used in the elaboration of biodegradable substrates and containers. Therefore, this work was divided into two experiments, the first of which tested the pure banana pseudostem fibers (FB) as substrate, and in mixtures of 25%, 50% and 75% with the commercial substrate MaxFértil® in the production of yellow round passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) seedlings. The number of leaves, plant height, stem diameter, ease of removal of plants from the container and substrate aggregation to roots of passion fruit plants grown in flexible polyethylene trays with 90 cells were evaluated. cm³. It was found that the use of banana pseudostem fibers mixed with the commercial substrate MaxFértil® is viable up to 50%. The second experiment developed a biodegradable container from the rooting of black velvetbean seeds in banana pseudostem fibers for the formation of passion fruit seedlings. The resistance and durability of the container and the morphological characteristics such as number of leaves, height, diameter of passion fruit plants were evaluated. Based on the results, the prepared container met the expectations of resistance and durability in the necessary period of permanence in the nursery and the reduction in the use of commercial substrate in the production of seedlings, promoting the reuse of residues from the banana crop.