The search for alternative substrat that can replace commercial products in the tomato seedlings production is very important to reduce costs at the first stage of such culture. The present study aimed to evaluate the quality of industrial tomato IPA 6 seedlings produced with alternative substrate of sheep manure. The experiment was carried ou at a plant nursery at the Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, in Serra Talhada, Pernambuco State, Brazil, from February 16 to March 30, 2012. The experimental design was a completely randomized design with four replications. The treatments were: T1 - commercial substrate; T2 - sheep manure + sand (1:1); T3 - sheep manure + sand (2:1); T4 - sheep manure + sand (3:1); T5 - sheep manure + soil (1:1); T6 - sheep manure + soil (2:1); T7 - sheep manure + soil (3:1); T8 - sheep manure + sand + soil (1:1:1); T9 - sheep manure + sand + soil (2:1:1); T10 - sheep manure + sand + soil (3:1:1). The emergence indicators were: percentage, speed index and average time of emergence. Regarding the development characteristics of seedlings were analyzed: leaf number, stem diameter, seedling height, root length, shoot dry matter and root dry matter. The commercial substrate provided better vigor of tomato IPA 6 seedlings. Moreover, the use of soil and sheep manure (2:1) to compose alternative substrates consisted of a viable option for seedlings production of this cultivar.
Solanum lycopersicum L.; seedling vigor; organic fertilizer; agricultural waste
