Evaluation of the effect of a vermicompost extract in the cultivation of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.)

Abstract

Nowadays, within the alternating ones of the agriculture are the liquid humic substances from organic sources of recyclable character like those coming from the compost and vermicompost; for this reason, this experiment focused on evaluating the effects of different solutions of a vermicompost extract on some biochemical-physiological indicators in organoponic conditions at two moments of its vegetative growth stage. For this, the species Lechuga (Lactuca sativa, L. var. Black S. Simpson) was used; the treatments were distributed in a completely randomized design, where the factor under study was spraying with vermicompost extract at 1/60 (v:v). and 1/70 (v:v); 4 replicates per treatment and one control were used. The substrate used was composed of ferralitic red leached soil, combined with cachaça in a ratio of 3:1 (s:v); where the indicators evaluated were benefited by the exogenous applications of vermicompost extract as a biostimulant; in addition of, generating important utilities from the economic and agroecological point of view. The best results were observed in the T3 treatment where 1/70 solution was used, since a significant increase in the number of leaves, dry mass content and the length of the same was obtained.