Effect of growth media and fertilization on the development of coffee nursery plants

Abstract

Fourteen different growth media were studied with the purpose of evaluating their effects on the growth of coffee nursery plants grown in Machado, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The growth media consisted of pasture topsoil, forest topsoil, or peat soil mixed with various combinations of fertilizer and manure. Analyses of variances was calculated for data collected on the number of leaves/plant, plant height, stem diameter, weight of the fresh aerial part of the plant, and weight of the root system. The best results were obtained with pasture topsoil mixed with NPK and chicken manure. This treatment produced seedlings that were ready for transplanting at the age of 8 months. The addition of 50% manure by weight to soil had negative effects on plant development. Growth media consisting of pasture topsoil or forest topsoil without the addition of manure did not produce healthy nursery plants. Peat soil and "torrão paulista" (a cubic lump of  dried soil plus NPK and cattle manure) proved to be inadequate for coffee plant growth.