INOCULAÇÃO DE SEMENTES DE CAJU-DO-CERRADO (Anacardium humile A. St.-Hil) COM Bacillus subtilis E Bacillus aryabhattai EFEITOS NO DESENVOLVIMENTO INICIAL DE MUDAS.

Abstract

The cerrado cashew (Anacardium humile A. St.-Hil.) is a native species of the Brazilian Cerrado with high economic and food potential; however, its germination is limited by diaspore dormancy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of bioinoculation of cerrado cashew seeds with Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus aryabhattai on morphological characteristics of seedlings at the initial stage of development. The experiment was conducted at the Federal Institute Goiano – Cristalina Campus, using a completely randomized design (CRD) with three treatments and seven replications, totaling 21 experimental units. The treatments were: control (without inoculation), inoculation with Bacillus aryabhattai, and inoculation with Bacillus subtilis, all at a concentration of 1 × 10⁹ CFU/L. At 42 days after sowing, the following were evaluated: plant height (cm), stem diameter (mm), number of definitive leaves, root length (cm), fresh aerial biomass (g), dry aerial biomass (g), and root fresh biomass (g). Data were submitted to analysis of variance and means compared by Tukey's test at 5% probability using SISVAR software. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were found between treatments for all evaluated variables. The control presented the highest values for plant height (6.88 cm), stem diameter (3.10 mm), root length (13.33 cm), fresh aerial biomass (2.17 g), and dry aerial biomass (0.50 g), statistically outperforming the inoculated treatments. It is concluded that, under the studied conditions, bioinoculation with the evaluated rhizobacteria did not promote initial growth of cerrado cashew seedlings, highlighting the need for future studies to adjust doses, application methods, and growing conditions.