Ex vitro acclimatization of Hippeastrum reticulatum (Amaryllidaceae) using different substrates

Hippeastrum spp. are herbaceous species belonging to the family Amaryllidaceae, widely marketed worldwide as indoor plants. Aiming to characterize chemically and physically and to compare five substrates in acclimatization, micropropagated seedlings of Hippeastrum reticulatum var. striatifolium (Herb), with an average of four roots, two leaves and bulbs with a 4.7mm diameter, were transplanted to 50-cell polyethylene trays each containing the following substrates: T1 - vermiculite, T2 - carbonized rice husk (CRH), T3 - commercial (peat vermiculite + CRH), T4 - coconut fiber, and T5 - composted Pinus bark. After transplantation, the trays were kept for 17 days at a greenhouse with intermittent irrigation by nebulization, and 80 days at a greenhouse on a bench with intermittent irrigation by capillarity. The experimental design was randomized blocks with seven replications and ten seedlings per plot. The acclimatization of seedlings was efficient for the substrates tested despite the differences verified by chemical and physical characterization. The mean survival rate was 96%. However seedlings acclimatized in the T5 substrate showed a qualitative improvement due to a higher formation of roots, leaves and fresh matter.