Effect of Mycorrhizal Consortia and the Type of Fertilization on the Quality of Seedlings in Nursery of the Ramon Tree ( Brosimum alicastrum Swartz) in Campeche, Mexico

The forest species Brosimum alicastrum is naturally distributed in the absence of silvicultural management. Because of its high potential for animal and human food, its demand has increased, and with it the need to generate research on its propagation in nurseries. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of different mycorrhizal consortia and the type of fertilization on the quality of seedlings produced by seed in the nursery. Factor treatments of five levels of mycorrhizae (commercial, Hopelchen, Conkal, Ramon, and without mycorrhiza), two types of fertilizers (osmocote (R), and bio2 (R)), and one control treatment (without mycorrhiza and fertilizer) were evaluated. The main variables evaluated were aerial and radical dry weight as indicators of seedling quality. Fertilization improved the quality of the seedlings, while the mycorrhizal consortium and the association of these with the fertilizer were not significant. The quality of the plants was better in those treatments that included organic fertilizers and for the control treatment. It was also found that the species does not tolerate the acidic pH of the factors used in its propagation. Until now, the effect of mycorrhizae on the quality of nursery seedlings has not been documented for this species. Therefore, these results can help improve the quality of nursery seedlings of a species with recent economic potential.