Resumo

AGUILAR-CARPIO, Cid et al. Mexican tea (Chenopodium ambrosioides L.) growth analysis under greenhouse conditions. Biotecnia [online]. 2021, vol.23, n.2, pp.113-119.  Epub 05-Set-2022. ISSN 1665-1456.  https://doi.org/10.18633/biotecnia.v23i2.1394.

The Mexican tea (Chenopodium ambrosioides L.) is an aromatic and medicinal plant. Information on its growth dynamics and mineral nutrition for its production is insufficient, therefore, the objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of three concentrations of the Steiner nutrient solution on the growth and production of Mexican tea grown under green- house conditions. The study was conducted in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico; with the genotype H-1000 (Hortaflor®) grown in tezontle as substrate. Three concentrations (50, 75 and 100 %) of the Steiner nutrient solution were applied to evaluate the growth of the crop by means of destructive samplings at 39, 46, 53, 60, 67 and 74 days after sowing; in each sampling, the following were determined: plant height, leaf area, leaf area index (LAI), weight of fresh matter, weight of dry matter, crop growth rate (CGR), absolute growth rate (AGR), and production per plant. A regression analysis was performed on the variables with the Excel® program, and for the case of production per plant, an analysis of variance and Tukey›s mean test (P ≤ 0.05) were performed. The highest height and production in the Mexican tea crop grown in a greenhouse and with inorganic substrate was obtained with Steiner’s nutrient solution at 100 %, which coincided with the highest CGR, AGR and LAI values, and whose equations were adjusted to a quadratic model. The results obtained suggest the use of Steiner’s 100 % nutrient solution to obtain the best productivity in this aromatic and medicinal plant.

Palavras-chave : crop nutrition; dry matter; yield; medicinal plant.