Growth of pecan rootstocks with the use of liquid humus in an organic production system

Abstract

Pecan farming is a long-term investment which needs quality seedlings to establish an orchard. Pecan rootstocksmust have a vigorous radicular system to form quality seedlings. Liquid humus, which acts as an agent thatpromotes their growth and development, is a bioinput that is specially used in organic production systems.This study aimed at evaluating effects of different frequencies of liquid humus application on pecan rootstockgrowth and development in an organic system. Liquid humus at 30% was applied every 7, 14, 21 and 28 days.The control treatment consisted of water application. The experiment was carried out with ‘Barton’ rootstocksin a greenhouse at the Embrapa Clima Temperado located in Pelotas, RS, Brazil. The following variables wereevaluated 280 and 480 days after transplantation: plant height; stem diameter; leaf area; fresh and dry massesof the aerial part; main and secondary root lengths; fresh and dry masses of roots; fresh and dry masses of themain root; fresh and dry masses of secondary roots; and the Dickson Quality Index. Liquid humus increasedsecondary root length of pecan rootstocks, mainly when it was applied every seven days. Thus, the bioinputmay be used for this purpose.