This work aimed to evaluate the quality of coffee seedlings (Coffea arabica L.) produced in small plastic containers with artificial substrate supplemented with sources of organic components in different proportions. The experiment was carried out using the randomized block design, in a 3 x 6 factorial structure, with four replications in plots composed of small plastic containers. The first factor corresponded to the sources (cattle manure, earthworm casting, and turkey manure) and the second to the proportions (0, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100%) in the artificial substrate (BioPlant-café®) fertilized with osmocote® (NPK 15-09-12). The characteristics evaluated were: seedling height, seedling stem diameter, number of pair of leaves, leaf area, shoot dry matter and root system dry matter. This work concluded that the earthworm casting added to the artificial substrate in proportion of 80% or by itself (100%) increases the leaf area of coffee seedlings and, as a consequence it provides a higher accumulation of dry matter in the shoot. The use of cattle (up to 30%) and turkey manure did not modify or reduced seedling height, seedling stem diameter, number of pair of leaves as well as the leaf area and decreased the accumulation of dry matter.
Organic fertilization; Coffea arabica; substrate
