Volumes de substrato e profundidades de plantio no enraizamento de estacas de mini-ixora

Abstract

Ixora coccinea L. ‘Compacta’, commonly known as mini-ixora, is an ornamental species widely used in squares, parks and gardens due to the beauty and exuberance offered by the contrasting colors of its flowers and leaves and because it produces flowers practically all year round. The objective of this research was to verify the influence of the volume of substrate and the depth of planting on the rooting of mini-ixora cuttings. The experimental design used was randomized blocks, in a 3 x 2 factorial arrangement, with three volumes of substrate (black polyethylene plastic bags with capacities of 1.0 L, 2.0 L and 3.0 L) and two depths of planting of the cuttings (1/3 and ½ of the length of the cutting), four blocks and 10 cuttings per experimental plot, totaling 240 cuttings. At 100 days after planting the cuttings, the following characteristics were evaluated: number of shoots per cutting, average number of roots per cutting, volume of fresh roots per cutting (cm3), dry matter of roots per cutting (g), dry matter of shoots per cutting (g) and percentage of rooted cuttings (%). The data obtained were subjected to analysis of variance, using the F test (p>0.05) and the means compared by the Scott-Knott test at 5% probability. The interaction between planting depth and substrate volume was significant for the variables number of shoots, dry matter of shoots and percentage of rooting. It was concluded that the planting depth (½ of the length of the cutting) in 2 L bags of substrate favored the rooting of mini-ixora cuttings.