Polímero hidrorretentor no crescimento inicial de mudas de moringa e sabiá sob déficit hídrico

Abstract

Water scarcity in the Brazilian semi-arid region compromises plant development, making it necessary to develop strategies that increase water availability in the substrate. Hydroretaining polymers have been used for this purpose, as they can store and gradually release water to plants. Thus, the objective was to evaluate the effect of a hydroretaining polymer on the initial growth of *Moringa oleifera* Lam. and *Mimosa caesalpiniifolia* Benth. (sabiá), native species with high hardiness and potential for forest restoration in the region. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design, in a 3 × 2 factorial scheme, with three hydrogel doses (0.0, 6.0, and 12.0 g L⁻¹ of soil) and two levels of water availability (50 and 100% of field capacity), with four replications. Height, stem diameter, number of leaves, and fresh and dry mass of the aerial and root parts were evaluated. The data were subjected to analysis of variance, and the means were compared using Tukey's test at a 5% probability level. There were no significant differences between treatments for any of the variables analyzed. The lack of response may be associated with the species' tolerance to water deficit and the short evaluation period, which may not have been sufficient to demonstrate the effects of the polymer. It is concluded that the hydrogel did not promote an increase in the initial growth of the seedlings under the evaluated conditions.