Utilización de bioestimulador del crecimiento QuitoMax® en la aclimatización de plántulas de pimiento.

QuitoMax® is a Cuban biostimulator of growth that could be used to reduce rooting and survival problems in pepper. The aim of this work was to determine the effect of QuitoMax® on the acclimatization of pepper plantlets (Capsicum annuum L.) cultivar 'YAMIL'. Plantlets from the in vitro multiplication stage, without roots, were used. Plantlets were soaked in QuitoMax® (1-10 mg L-1) or AIA (2 mg L-1) and sprayed 15 days later with the same concentrations; a control treatment was used in which plantlets were neither soaked nor sprayed. Planting was carried out in polyethurane trays containing a substrate composed of organic matter (cachaça) and eutrophic compacted Red Ferrallitic soil. A completely randomized design was used and the experiment was repeated three times over time. Data were processed using a Simple Ranked Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and the comparison between means was performed according to Tukey's test (p>0.05). Treatments 2 [IAA (2 mg L-1)], 3 [QuitoMax® (1 mg L-1)], 4 [QuitoMax® (5 mg L-1)] and 5 [QuitoMax® (10 mg L-1)] achieved survival ranging from 90-100 %. All treatments with QuitoMax® showed the most vigorous plants and those with the greatest height were those with the lowest concentration of the product. The number and length of roots were similar in the treatments with AIA (2 mg L-1) and QuitoMax (1 mg L-1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]