Production of Euterpe precatoria Mart. seedlings in response to different dosages of nitrogen and potassium

Abstract

The success of açaí establishment as a monoculture is associated with the care regarding seedling
quality and health. From this perspective, this study aimed to evaluate the influence of nitrogen
and potassium to produce seedlings of Euterpe precatoria Mart. The experiment was set up in a
randomized block design in a 5x5 factorial arrangement, with the first factor corresponding to
nitrogen levels (0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 mg dm^-3 of N) and the second factor consisting of the
potassium levels (0, 40, 80, 120, and 160 mg dm^-3 of K), aplit into 20, 40, and 40% of the total
dosage. The following were evaluated 300 days after harvesting: seedling height, stem diameter,
number of active leaves, dry root, shoot, and total mass, and the Dickson Quality Index. The data
were subjected to univariate analysis and then to regression analysis. A significant effect was
observed only for the N levels, with a positive linear response on all variables analyzed. Thus,
the nitrogen levels influenced the growth and quality of E. precatoria seedlings 300 days after
transplanting. Potassium fertilization for E. precatoria seedlings during the nursery phase was not
responsive to any variable. In addition, there was no effect of the interaction between the N and K
levels on the growth of
E. precatoria seedlings 300 days after transplanting, and seedlings subjected to increasing
nitrogen levels were
responsive, showing good morphological attributes.