Efeito do silício no desenvolvimento e na nutrição de copo-de-leite

Abstract

The number of studies on the effect of silicon in cut flowers is still small. The silicon can affect vegetal production by many indirect reasons, such as improving the plants architecture, with more erect leaves, decreasing the self shading, and decreasing the pathogens incidence. Thus, the aim of this present work was to evaluate the silicon in the plant development and yield of calla lily inflorescences. Micropropagated calla lily seedlings, after acclimatization, were transplanted to 7 dm-3 pots with red oxisol, washed sand and manure as substrate, in the proportion of 2:1:1. After transplanted the plants received silicon fertilizer in substrate with concentrations of 25, 50, 75 and 100 mg dm-3 of silicon and a control with no silicon. It was used a randomized block design with four replicates and three plants per plot. The plants were evaluated according to the development characteristics, inflorescences production and nutrient content in substrate, in the leaves and in the inflorescences. There were no differences among the treatment for the development of the inflorescence production. The content of silicon in the leaves was increased with the silicon concentrations given. The use of potassium silicate increases the pH of the substrate and the absorption of sulfur. Silicon fertilizer did not influence the calla lily development or the silicon concentration used might have been insufficient.