PRODUÇÃO DE MUDAS DE ALFACE BABÁ DE VERÃO COM SUBST RATOS À BASE DE ESTERCO OVINO

The objective of this study was to evaluate the emergence and development of lettuce seed- lings, cv. Babá de Verão, when produced with organi c substrates made from sheep manure. The experiment was accomplished at a nursery in the Universidade F ederal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE), Unidade Acadêmica de Serra Talhada (UAST), Serra Talhada to wn, State of Pernambuco, during the month of April 2011. It was used a completely randomized design wi th four replications. The treatments were: T1 – com mer- cial substrate (Tropstrato HT ® ); T2 – sheep manure + sand (1:1); T3 – sheep manur e + sand (2:1); T4 – sheep manure + sand (3:1); T5 – sheep manure + soil (1:1) ; T6 – sheep manure + soil (2:1); T7 – sheep manure + soil (3:1); T8 – sheep manure + sand + soil (1:1:1); T9 – sheep manure + sand + soil (2:1:1); T10 – sheep m anure + sand + soil (3:1:1). Emergence indicators were: per centage, speed index and average time of emergence. Re- garding the development characteristics of seedling s were analyzed: leaf number, seedling height, root length, shoot dry matter and root dry matter. Whereas the i ndicators of emergence and development, it can be i nferred that substrates T3 [EO + A (2:1)], T4 [EO + A (3:1) ], T6 [EO + S (2:1)], T7 [EO + S (3:1)] and T10 [EO + A + S (3:1:1)] provided similar results to those observ ed in the production of lettuce seedlings with the commercial substrate, thus providing the formation of vigorous seedlings more sustainable for the initial stage o f cultivation of this vegetable.