Germination of seeds and development of seedlings of bell pepper cultivars at different substrates

The aim of this paper was to evaluate the effects of the five mixtures of substrata in the germination and development of seedlings of bell pepper cultivars. The experiment was carried out in a nursery, in Mato Grosso do Sul State University. There were compared the following combinations of substrata: washed sand + earthworm humus (2: 1); manure bovine + earthworm humus (2: 1); Plantmax r + earthworm humus (2: 1); washed sand + Plantmax r (2: 1) and manure bovine + Plantmax r (2: 1), and three bell pepper cultivars: 'Alongado Amarelo', 'All big' and 'Chapeu de Bispo'. The experimental design was entirely at random, in a 5 x 3 factorial outline, with four replications and 16 seeds per plot. There were considered for evaluation 10 central seedlings per plot. The characteristics evaluated were: germination percentage (%), index of germination speed (IVE), seedlings height (cm), root length (cm) and dry mass of the whole seedlings (g). The better results were observed with cultivars 'All big' and 'Chapeu de Bispo' and the best substrata were washed sand + Plantmax r and manure bovine + Plantmax r