Quality Index of Passion Fruit Seedlings by Using Physically Parameters

Passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) has aroused interest from producers, leading to an intense demand for technical information, especially for obtaining quality seedlings. The objective of this study was to evaluate passion fruit seedlings according to age and morphological characteristics. The experiment was carried out at the seedling nursery of the State University of Montes Claros, Campus Janaúba-MG, Brazil, from March to June 2017. The cultivars BRS Gigante Amarelo, BRS Rubi do Cerrado, BRS Pérola do Cerrado and Redondo Amarelo were evaluated, distributed in randomized blocks with five replications, in a split-plot scheme (4 × 4). There was an adjustment of the model (IQM = 6.3857 − 0.3892 NL + 3.3512 SD − 0.2063 SPAD + 0.0730 LA), which proposes a quality parameter of passion fruit seedlings, high level of significance and coefficient of determination, necessary for the reliability and accuracy of the results obtained. Considering the proposed model (IQM), there is no need for destructive analysis, and evaluations can be performed in the nursery itself as soon as a seedling lot reaches the recommended height of 30 cm. The evaluated characteristics contribute significantly to the quality of the seedling, and it is recommended, besides the height measurement, to evaluate the number of leaves, the stem diameter, the leaf area and the SPAD index, because the combination of these parameters will guarantee the necessary quality of the seedlings to be transplanted in the field.