Uso de extrato de tiririca no crescimento de mudas de alface

The appropriate cultivation of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) to obtain a good yield depends on some variables, among them the use of healthy seedlings with high vigor and quality. In order to do so, it is necessary to use technologies that aim to achieve these characteristics. The use of rooting is a type of technology that helps to increase the production of lettuce, stimulating the growth of the root system and, indirectly, affecting in a positive way the development of the aerial part, which is the material consumed of this vegetable. However, the use of these synthetic rotors increases operating costs, and may even make their production unfeasible. Therefore, the uses of alternatives that act in this same process in an inexpensive way and of free access to the producers, can add significantly to the increase of productivity, without raising the cost of production. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of the use of extract of Cyperus rotundus L. on the development of lettuce seedlings. A completely randomized design with 5 treatments and 4 replicates was used. The treatments were composed of the doses of the extract of nitrile with dilution in distilled water, generating the different concentrations. Being defined as: Treatment 1 - 0%: Witness (distilled water); Treatment 2 - 25%: (75% water and 25% solution); Treatment 3 - 50% (50% water and 50% solution), Treatment 4 - 75% (25% water and 75% solution) and Treatment 5 - 100% (100% solution), where each experimental plot was composed of 50 plants. The seedlings were evaluated 30 days after sowing, observing the following variables: seedling height, leaf length, root length, fresh and dry shoot mass, fresh and dry root mass and number of leaves. The data were submitted to analysis of variance, by statistical software SISVAR version 5.6 and when a significant difference was submitted, submitted to the regression test. According to the results obtained by the means, the dose of 50% of extract presented the best average in relation to the others for the root length variable. The 75% dose of extract had the best mean in relation to the other doses, for the variables leaf length and root dry mass.