Effect of cover and fertilization on the early development of Nothofagus alessandrii nursery container seedlings

Abstract

Nothofagus alessandrii is an endangered species. Yet, available information for the propagation and nursery cultivation of this species is conspicuously lacking. To this end, we studied the effect of cover and fertilization on early growth of nursery seedlings over one growing season. Using a split plot experimental design with completely random fixed-effect blocks we monitored seedling growth with three levels of shade (plastic net Raschel^® of 35, 50, y 80 %) and three doses of slow-release fertilizer (4, 6, and 10 g of Osmocote^® per litter of growth media). Results demonstrated a significant effect of shade treatments on seedling development. Differences between seedlings treated with 35-50 % when compared with those treated with 80 % cultivated were observed on the evaluated attributes. In general, fertilization did not affect seedling development. In conclusion, it is more efficient to cultivate N. alessandrii nursery seedlings at 35 % shade and 4 g L^-1 fertilization. Under this scenario, it is possible to produce plants, on average, with 28 cm in stem length; 4 mm of root collar diameter; 3.2 g plant^-1 total biomass; and quality indices of 6.9 (slenderness), 2.2 (root-shoot), and 2.1 (Dickson).