Use of algae extracts in the initial growth of coffee seedlings

• Grant number: 18/22876-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2019
• End date: January 31, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Crop Science
• Principal Investigator: Paulo Mazzafera
• Grantee: Laura Minatel Bortolato
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Biostimulants are products of organic nature that cause physiological changes in plants, improving their performance. Among biostimulants, seaweed extracts are what have been most widely adopted in crops. There are many reports of its beneficial effects on various agricultural crops, but very little exists with coffee. The present project aims to study the application of seaweed extract in the soil, sprayed or in combination in coffee seedlings to verify its effects on the initial development of plants grown in rizotron. More attention will be given to the development of the root system, since it raises the possibility that the application of algae in the soil may stimulate greater mycorrhizal infection, leading to a greater efficiency in the capture of nutrients.