Different substrate compositions in the development of Brazilian berry in pots

Abstract

The Brazilian berry (Pliniacauliflora, sin: Myrciariacauliflora Berg), a native tree of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, called by native people as “Jabuticaba” and cultivated throughout the national territory, is a species produced for consumption in natura, manufacturing liqueurs, ice cream, fermented drinks and juices, jellies, in addition to be used in the pharmaceutical industry for essential oil production. Despite being a tree species, it has been cultivated in pots by those who have little space. Thus, this study aimed to verify substrate compositions with soil in the development of Brazilian berry in full sun and potted. The experimental design was completely randomized, with 3 treatments and 9 replications, being: T1 – Soil + organic compost (1:1); T2 – Soil + sand (1:1); T3 – Soil + sand + organic compost (1:1:1). Chemical and physical properties of substrate mixtures, chlorophyll index and fresh and dry matter of leaves and analysis of leaf macro and micronutrients content were evaluated. Among the evaluated treatments, soil + sand + organic compost (1:1:1) showed favourable results for the evaluated characteristics, while soil + sand (1:1) showed unfavourable results, probably due to the presence of sand in its mixture.