Soilless cultivation systems: a new approach in fruit plants propagation in southern Brazil.

摘要

The search for new propagation techniques that can enhance the quality and quantity of propagation material is essential in the fruit production. The vegetative or asexual propagation of fruit plants is highly recommended because it enables the maintenance of plant characteristics. The multiplication of fruit trees by vegetative propagation can be done of several ways, each species suiting best one of them. Cutting and micropropagation can be considered the most important vegetative propagation techniques. Although in many species these techniques would provide the multiplication and rooting of plant material to be cloned, growth and survival may be low. Technologies that benefit growth and survival of plants produced asexually can increase the yield of fruit plants production. The production of fruit plants in soilless systems is a new process with great potential. The advantages of soilless culture in plant propagation are earliness of producing, more adequate mineral nutrients supply, better conditions for plant development and better control of diseases and pests. The use of soilless culture systems combined with more efficient forms of vegetative propagation such as cuttings and micropropagation has been tested in southern Brazil to obtain more quantity and greater quality of fruit species plants with limitations for propagation. Different soilless cultivation systems (hydroponics and sand culture growing systems) and nutrient solutions are being developed at "Universidade Federal de Pelotas" for blueberry crop, rootstock and scion cultivars of peach, olive crop and strawberry guava crop (native fruit).