GROWTH RESPONSE OF Bauhinia Variegata L. TO INOCULATION AND ORGANIC FERTILIZATION

ABSTRACT The objective of this work was to evaluate the initial growth of Bauhinia variegata L. when inoculated and fertilized with different proportions of organic compost. The experiment was performed in greenhouse in a completely random factorial (2 x 5) + 1 design, with 9 replicates, constituted by the presence or absence of inoculation, five proportions of organic compost:soil (0:100, 20:40, 40:60, 60:40 and 80:20; v/v) and one additional treatment with chemical fertilization without inoculation. Ninety days after sowing, the plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves, radicular length, dry mass of the aerial portion, dry mass of roots, total dry mass, Dicksosn's quality index (IQD), contents of nitrogen and carbon and the C/N ratio of the dry mass of the aerial portion, were evaluated. The inoculation with diazotrophic bacteria stimulated growth in height, stem height/diameter ratio, dry mass of the aerial portion, dry mass of roots, total dry mass and the foliar contents of nitrogen and carbon in seedlings of B. variegata L. Seedlings grown using organic compost showed better development when compared to seedlings grown only in soil with or without chemical fertilization. Seedlings grown with formulated substrate at a proportion of 16:84 (organic compost:soil + inoculation) exhibited higher IQD, therefore, this constitutes the recommended proportion for production of B.variegata L. seedlings.