Influência do cocultivo de bactérias promotoras de crescimento no desenvolvimento morfofisiológico de Canistrum aurantiacum (Bromeliaceae)

Abstract

The reintroduction of vulnerable species is a common practice in ecological conservation and restoration, aiming to address the challenges arising from habitat fragmentation and climate change. However, reintroduction attempts of native plants, such as Canistrum aurantiacum, often encounter difficulties in establishing lasting reproductive populations. A promising approach to improve the success of these reintroductions is co-cultivation with growth-promoting bacteria (GPBs), which can benefit plant development at various stages of cultivation. This study sought to evaluate the impact of GPB co-cultivation on the growth and development of C. aurantiacum seedlings. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse attached to the Plant Physiology Laboratory (LFP) at the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), Recife-PE. Seeds of C. aurantiacum were sown in trays containing organic substrate and washed sand. After 90 days, the plants were transplanted into containers containing a mixture of organic substrate and sand, previously sterilized. Five GPB treatments, including a control, with 10 replicates each, were used. The plants were inoculated with bacterial suspension or sterile deionized water and maintained under these conditions for 64 days. Biometric and total chlorophyll content analyses were conducted throughout the experiment. The data obtained were analysed using ANOVA, and the means were compared employing the Tukey test at a 5% significance level. However, no significant differences were observed between the treatments regarding these variables. The results indicate that GPB inoculation had no significant effect on the growth and chlorophyll content of C. aurantiacum during the study period. This finding suggests that other factors, such as interspecific interactions between plants and microorganisms, may have influenced plant development. Therefore, further research is needed to better understand the effectiveness of GPB co-cultivation as a management strategy for vulnerable species in reintroduction programs.