Influence of Water Availability and Wood Ash Doses on the Productive Characteristics and Water Usage of Potted Gerbera

Abstract

The use of irrigation and wood ash are technologies that have been interfering positively in the experimental conduction of some crops in Brazil. The objective of this study was to evaluate the production characteristics and water use in cultivated potted gerbera plants under water availability and wood ash doses. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse, belonging to the Agricultural and Environmental Engineering course of the Federal University of Mato Grosso, in the city of Rondonopolis, Brazil (16°28’ S, 50° 34’ W, and altitude of 284 m). The statistical design adopted was randomized blocks, in a 5x5 factorial scheme, with five percentages of water availability (40, 60, 80, 100 and 120% of pot capacity) and five doses of wood ash (0, 8, 16, 24 and 32 g dm-3) with four replicates, totaling 100 experimental units. The variables evaluated were: number of total and open chapters, fresh leaf mass, floral stems and chapters, and water consumption and efficiency. The data of the evaluations were submitted to analysis of variance and when significant to the regression test, up to 5% probability. For water availability close to 80.6%, gerbera plants have higher production characteristics. The highest water consumption is obtained with a value lower than the pot capacity. The use of wood ash in gerbera plants promotes increased production and maximum retention capacity and water use efficiency.