ABSTRACT
The increasing amount of solid waste generates the need for its use. An opportunity is the use of sewage sludge to attend the demand for alternative inputs in the agricultural and forestry practices. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of Prunus brasiliensis (Cham. & Schltdl.) D. Dietr. (pessegueiro - bravo) grown on substrates prepared from aerobic sewage sludge composted with ground tree pruning and with different levels of a granulated fertilizer, and to compare its performance with those grown on commercial substrate, which is widely used in forest nurseries. The experiment was conducted in a shadehouse (from July/08 to Oct/08) and in an outdoor growing area (from Nov/08 to Feb/09) at Water and Sanitation Company of Paraná, located in Araucária, southern Brazil. Three different substrates were used: commercial substrate, consisting of composted pine bark and vermiculite, and 3:1 (v:v) and 2:1 (v:v) composted substrate based on crushed tree pruning and sewage sludge. The following variables were measured: seedling height, diameter and dry biomass of leaves and branches. The results showed higher growth rates of seedlings grown on substrates containing sewage sludge than on those grown on commercial substrate. Both composts with sewage sludge, using the two levels of fertilization (2.7 and 4 g dm-3), present similar results for the majority of the variables tested.
Keywords:
bio-solid; composting; plant nutrition; seedlings nursery