ABSTRACT
The floricultural industry is always searching for new and low-cost materials to use as substrate for crop growth and development. Sewage sludge is an organic solid waste from sewage treatment and it has a good potential to be used as an organic fertilizer and/or substrate conditioner. The research aimed to evaluate the rooting and growth of Codiaeum variegatum ‘Andreanum’ (red variety) and Codiaeum variegatum ‘Punctatum’ (yellow variety) cuttings cultivated in the potting media: PM1 – 100% commercial potting media used as control (CS), PM2 – 100% organic compost of sewage sludge + sugarcane bagasse (SSSB), PM3 – 50% CS + 50% SSSB, PM4 – 100% organic compost of sewage sludge + eucalyptus bark (SSEB) and PM5 – 50% CS + 50% SSEB. After 90 days of experimentation the chemical analysis of the substrate solution (pH, electric conductivity, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Na, B, Cu, Mn and Zn) and number of shoots, shoot fresh and dry mass, plant cutting fresh and dry masses, root fresh and dry masses, total fresh and dry masses and, length of the largest root were analyzed. Our results showed that sewage sludge compost can be used as a substrate for rooting and growth of croton cuttings when mixed with commercial substrate. The use of the pure sewage sludge compound with sugarcane bagasse or eucalyptus bark prejudiced croton cuttings to root.
Keywords:
organic fertilization; composting; organic waste