Alternative Substrate and Recipients for the Production of Arabica Coffee Seedlings

The present work aimed to assess the quality of arabica coffee seedlings produced on different substrates and in various recipients. The work was performed in a randomized block experimental design, using three repetitions, in subdivided parcels, with three parcels, and four sub parcels. The experiment used the cultivar of Coffea arábia “Catuai IAC 44”. The genotype received the following treatments: R1 polyethylene bag, 615 cm³; R2: 280 cm³ tubes; R3: 120 cm³ tubes; S1 conventional substrate composed by a mixture of ravine earth with bovine manure at a 3:1 (v/v) proportion added with a NPK fertilization, recommended for coffee culture; S2 organic leguminous compound, mixture of a leguminous plant (guandu beans, Cajanus cajan) with bovine manure at a 1:1 (v/v) proportion, followed by a 90 days maturation process; S3: organic grass compound, produced by the composting of garden grass chips mixed with bovine manure at 1:1 proportion; and S4: vermicompost derived from the organic decompositions of grasses. The results of this research highlight that substrates and recipients affect the development of the seedlings of arabica coffee, improving the quality indexes of Dickson in the higher volume 615 cm3 recipient and the alternative substrate composed by legume, grass, and vermicompost were efficient to produce Arabica coffee seedlings. This combination of substrate and recipient can substitute the conventional substrate in this phase of the development of the seedlings, providing an increase in the production quality.