Agronomic performance of strawberry cultivated in substrate with rock powder / Desempenho agronômico de morangueiro cultivado em substrato com pó-de-rocha

Abstract

Although different studies have shown beneficial effects of using rock powder on plants, no research has been done to determine the influence of adding this input to the strawberry growing substrate (Fragaria X ananassa Duch.). Thus, we investigated whether proportions of rock powder added to the cultivation substrate interfere in the agronomic performance of strawberry. The treatments tested were five proportions of rock powder (0%, 15%, 30%, 45% and 60% of the volume of the container). The experiment was designed in randomized blocks, with four replications. The supply of fertigation was reduced by half in order to verify whether the rock powder would be able to supply part of the nutrient demand required by the strawberry. The determination coefficient obtained was 0.83, indicating that the total production of fruits (TP) was explained in 83% by the proportions of rock powder added. We also observed that TP decreased linearly with the increase in the proportion of rock powder added to the cultivation substrate. TP was also negatively associated with the increase in the density of the culture media. In conclusion, increasing amounts of rock powder added to the cultivation substrate create a denser environment, not providing the necessary quantities for the development of the strawberry and this reduces its productive potential