EVALUATION OF SEEDLING DEVELOPMENT OF (Tagetes patula L.) ON DIFFERENT SUBSTRATES

Abstract

Tagetes patula L., a member of the Asteraceae family commonly known as the French marigold, is an annual plant well-adapted to tropical climates and recognized for its ease of cultivation. It features compound leaves and striking, variegated flowers, making it a widely utilized ornamental plant. Despite its popularity, there is a notable lack of research on this species within the field of floriculture. Therefore, studies aimed at optimizing the cultivation conditions for T. patula are of significant importance, given the species' potential for commercialization, as well as for culinary and medicinal applications. This study aimed to evaluate the development of Tagetes patula L. cultivated in different growing media. The experiments analyzed the effects of these substrates on the plants' growth. The following substrates were used: a commercial substrate, Tropstrato (T1), which served as the control; fine expanded vermiculite (T2); and clay soil (T3). The treatments were arranged in expanded polystyrene trays to facilitate germination, with samples divided into three treatments, each with five replications. The results indicated that clay soil yielded the poorest performance across the evaluated variables. Overall, the commercial substrate demonstrated the best results, producing plants with a larger stem diameter, greater root length, a higher number of leaves, and increased plant height.