Mineral and organic fertilizer combined with doses of Azospirillum brasilense in an orchid hybrid

The cultivation of orchids requires many procedures, such as managing cultural treatments and fertilization to produce high quality floral stems. The objective of this study was to evaluate the growth of transplanted seedlings of a Cattleya virginia x Brassocattieya pastoral orchid hybrid with Azospirillum brasilense added and different sources of fertilization. The experiment was conducted in a private orchid nursery in Marechal Cândido Rondon, Paraná State, Brazil. The experimental design was randomized blocks in a 2 x 4 factorial scheme (two sources of fertilization x four concentrations of A. brasilense (Masterfix Gramíneas®)), with four repetitions and five plants per repetition, totaling 160 seedlings. The sources of fertilization were Bokashi® as an organic fertilizer and 10-10-10 NPK as a soluble mineral. After ten months, the plants underwent phytotechnical evaluations such as the total number of roots, length of the largest root, number of leaves, length and width of the largest leaf, number of pseudobulbs, number of sprouts, and diameter of the pseudobulb. The use of A. brasilense in the growth of the Cattleya virginia x Brassocattleya pastoral hybrid increased the diameter of the pseudobulb, the number of roots, and the length of the largest root. The inclusion of A. brasilense in the mineral fertilization with 10-10-10 NPK resulted in the greatest number of sprouts.