Estimation of the period of permanence of Cordia americana seedlings in protected environment

Abstract

The use of new tools as the technical criterion of interception of the curves of average daily increment and current daily are useful for indicating the optimal period of permanence of the plants in the protected environment. The objective of this study was to determine the length of stay of the Cordia americana (Linnaeus) Gottshling & JE Mill seedlings in protected environment based on the morphological parameters height, base diameter and total dry mass of the seedlings and in the intercept between daily increment curves and increment daily average.  The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design, with subdivided plots with a 2 x 2 factorial scheme. The criteria were defined based on the growth curves and intercept between curves of daily increment and average daily increment. The volume of substrate that could be explored by the root system and the density of seedlings per tray influenced the growth, in general larger seedlings were obtained in larger tubes. The period of stay of the seedlings in the nursery varies from 150 to 250 days depending on the treatment used using the dry mass as a quality parameter. The technical criterion used to intercept the curves of daily increment and average daily increment is useful in decision making, with a view to the evaluation of the quality standard of the seedlings.