Efeito da textura do solo no crescimento inicial de plantas de pinhão-manso (Jatropha curcas L.).

Abstract

The pinhão-manso (Jatrophacurcas L.) is an oilseed plant that has high potential for biofuel production, however, little is known about the cultivation techniques of this species, especially in regards to the production of quality seedlings which provides high survival rates in field. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of saplings of pinhão-manso grown on substrates with different textures in a greenhouse. The effects of five compositions of substrates (treatments) were evaluated: 100% river sand; clay soil 100%; 50% river sand + 50% clay soil; 75% river sand + 25 % clay soil material; 25% river sand + 75% clay soil. The treatments were arranged completely at random, with five repetitions. We measured the height, stem diameter, leaf area, leaf number and dry weight of shoots and roots. The results of this study show that saplings of pinhão-manso respond differently to variation in soil texture, in general, important parameters such as stem diameter and shoot dry weight showed some sensitivity to the substrate with more clay. Considering positive effect for most parameters, the substrate material composed of 75% clay soil + 25% river sand was the one that provided seedlings of pinhão-manso with better quality.