EMERGENCE AND EARLY SEEDLING GROWTH OF DILODENDRON BIPINNATUM RADLK IN DIFFERENT SUBSTRATES

Dilodendron bipinnatum Radlk is a Brazilian native woody species, widely used in landscaping and restoration of degraded lands. Due to the lack of native plant material in commercial nurseries, and very little information is available on the propagation of this study species, we investigated the effect of substrates and identified which is most suitable upon the emergence and early seedlings growth of this study species. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse and the substrates used were: sand, Tropstrato®, chicken manure + red soil (1:1), black soil + red soil (1:1). After 30 days-period, the emergence percentage, emergence speed index, mean emergence time, root and shoot length, and root and shoot dry mass were performed. The most suitable substrates for seedling emergence percentage and emergence speed index were the sand, Tropstrato®, and black soil + red soil substrates. The substrates that added greater dry mass for root and shoot were the black soil + red soil, followed by the Tropstrato®. In conclusion, the Tropstrato® and black soil+ red soil provided the best results for early seedling growth of D. bipinnatum . In addition, black soil + red soil substrate can be produced at the nursery, as its components are easily accessible in nature, and for  D. bipinnatum  seedlings, it provides similar results as those obtained using the Tropstrato® substrate,  with less costs.