Does paclobutrazol affect Handroanthus serratifolius (Vahl) S. O. Grose) seedlings rusticity?

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of applying paclobutrazol to the rustification process of Handroanthus serratifolius seedlings. The experiment was carried out in the seedling nursery of the Zoobotanical Park at the Federal University of Acre. A randomized block design was adopted, consisting of four blocks, treatments and replications, with a plot consisting of five seedlings. The seedlings submitted to the application of paclobutrazol via leaf spraying were measured regarding the parameters: height, stem diameter and shoot and root biomass. Statistical analyzes were performed using the SPSS IBM Statistics software, with the data submitted to analysis of variance (F test, p<0.05) and, when significant, the means were compared using the mean test (Tukey test, p<0, 05). There was a significant influence of paclobutrazol application on shoot dry mass, contributing to the ratios of total dry mass and shoot/root dry mass. The result in question indicates that the use of paclobutrazol can contribute to the survival of Handroanthus serratifolius seedlings in field conditions. Furthermore, prolonged experiments using growth regulators in native forest species are necessary.