Response of finger pepper plants on commercial and organic substrates with and without addition of charcoal residue

Abstract

The substrate is a determining factor for the production of quality seedlings, having a direct
impact on the performance of the plant in the field. The objective of this study was to evaluate
the response of young finger pepper plants to commercial and organic substrates without and
with 2.5% charcoal residue (RCV). A randomized block design with 4 treatments (2 types of
substrates without and with the addition of 2.5% RCV) was used, 4 replicates. The following
variables were evaluated: germination rate, emergency speed index, mean time of emergence,
plant height, leaf number, root length, dry mass of root and shoot. The worm humus provided
the best results when compared to Bioplant. The RCV did not impair the development of the
plants when added to Bioplant, when added to the humus, RCV promoted better results, showing
itself as an alternative to minimize production costs and to mitigate the impacts caused
by the coal industry.