Effect of vermicompost on the development of Gros Michel banana plants (Musa AAA) at greenhouse

Abstract

Introduction. Banana plantations requires high quality inputs to maintain high productions activity. The use of in vitro plants has had a great impact because the plants have greater vigor and prevent the spread of diseases in fields, these plants need a period of acclimatization before planting and the use of high-quality substrates such as vermicompost prevents the spread of soil diseases, and encourages better development, which It could also help reduce production costs. Objective. To evaluate the effect of vermicompost on the growth and development of banana plants cv Gros Michel (Musa AAA) at greenhouse stage. Materials and methods. At the Atlantic Headquarters of the University of Costa Rica located in Turrialba, during july to september, 2022, substrates were prepared with two types of vermicompost (anticipated and delayed) in doses of 0 %, 10 %, 25 % and 30 %; Then, in vitro plants of Gros Michel banana (Musa AAA) were planted in IV phase. The following were evaluated every two weeks: plant height, leaf area, number of leaves, leaf emission and pseudostem diameter. In addition to this, the corm diameter, fresh and dry biomass were analyzed at the beginning and at the end of the trial. Results. Vermicompost was beneficial at the lowest dose tested (10 % A and 10 % P), although, in the absence of vermicompost (0 %), the plants presented the lowest development, at the highest doses (30 % P) derived a phytotoxic effect. Conclusion. Vermicompost stimulated the growth of banana plants based on the physiological variables evaluated in contrast to the treatment without vermicompost.