Among the factors that contribute for the best initial plants growing are seed quality and substrate utilized. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of substrate on the initial production peach and nectarine seedlings. The work was carried out in the Department of Plant Science of the Universidade Federal de Viçosa, State of Minas Gerais (Brazil), from February to March, 2004. In this work four peach varieties were used: 'Alô Doçura ', 'Campinas 1 ', 'Relíquia ' and 'Ouromel ' and a nectarine variety, 'Josefina'. Seeds from mature fruits were stratified in a dark cold room, at a constant temperature of 5±1ºC. After germination, the material was transferred to a greenhouse. The germinated seeds were sowed in plastic bags (3 liters), using the substrates Plantmax®; Plantmax® + Sand (1:1 v/v); Plantmax® + Red Soil (1:1 v/v); Plantmax® + Red 'Latossolo' + Sand (1:1:1 v/v). The experiment was carried out in an entirely randomized design, in a factorial 5 x 4 (varieties x substrate), with five replications and each plastic bag considered as a plot. 38 days after of sowing, the percentage of emergence, number of leaves, total length, height and root length, diameter of the stem, total dry matter, aerial part and root dry matter and the number of primary ramifications were evaluated. The substrate had effect on initial peach seedling growth and the best results were obtained with the commercial substrate Plantmax®. The largest accumulation of dry matter and total and aerial part was obtained with 'Campinas 1 ' and 'Relíquia ' varieties and the last one provided larger number of primary ramifications.
Prunus sp.; growth; germination
