Effect of the Substrate and Containers in the Initial Growth of Seedlings of Physalis peruviana L.

Physalis peruviana L., from the family Solanaceae, is a fruitful species of high nutritional and economic value, incorporated in the category of the small fine fruits in Brazil, and is a promising source of income for small farmers, mainly in the Northeast area. This work aims to evaluate the influence of different substrate and containers in the initial growth of Physalis peruviana L. The experiment was conducted in the greenhouse, in a completely randomized designing. Two types of containers (polypropylene seedling tray of 200 cells and containers of polypropylene of 50 mL) and three compositions of the substrate (commercial substrate Hortiplant®, and ravine soil + sand + organic compost in the proportions 2:1:1 and 2:1:2) were tested. The analyzed variables were: percentage of emergency and emergency velocity index of the plants; height of the plants; the number of leaves; length of the main root; and wet and dry mass of the root and the aerial part at the 30 days after sowing. Analyses of variance were used to test the effects of substrate and containers on the studied variables, and the averages of the studied variables were compared among treatments using the Tukey’s test at 5% of probability. In the greenhouse conditions, Physalis peruviana L. seedlings grow better when sowed in the commercial substrate using the container of polypropylene of 50 mL, resulting in larger seedlings, a larger number of leaves and a proper development of the root system.