Enraizamento de estacas de Coffea arabica L. em estufim

Abstract

The vegetative propagation through rooting cuttings are a viable alternative for the multiplication of clones of coffee hybrids in commercial scale The objective of this work was to substitute the use of greenhouses with automatic irrigation for rooting of Coffea arabica L. cuttings. The experiment was installed in a 1,5 x 1 x 0,90 m plastic propagator box with sand. The cuttings were transferred later to a common nursery. Herbaceous cuttings from orthotropics branches, with one bud, two leaves reduced to 1/3 of its size and 8-10 cm length were planted directly in the nursery and in the plastic propagator box. The cuttings stayed in the plastic propagator box for different periods (7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49 and 56 days). The statistical design was randomized blocks with three reps. The following characteristics were evaluated after 150 days: cutting survival, sprout number, sprout length, sprout dry weight, rooted cuttings, roots number and root dry weight. The use of the plastic propagator box for rooting of C. arabica L. cuttings is a technically viable alternative. Better rooting of C. arabica L. is registered when cuttings stay in the plastic propagator box for 35 days.