Melon Seedlings Phytomass under Poultry Litter Biochar Doses

The use of organic waste for the preparation of seedling substrates is an important environmental and economic option. In this perspective, substrates using biochar emerges as an alternative for seedling production due to their favorable physical and chemical characteristics. The present study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of doses of poultry litter biochar as a substrate constituent for the production and quality of the seedlings. The work was conducted in a semi protected environment, belonging to the Federal University of Campina Grande—UFCG. The statistical design used was completely randomized in a 6 × 2 factorial scheme, consisting of 6 doses of biochar (0, 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20 t∙ha−1) and two varieties of melon (Yellow and Hales Best Jumbo) with 4 repetitions totaling 48 experimental units. The fresh and dry plant phytomass mass (aerial, roots and total), root length and the quality of seedlings were evaluated. It was concluded that the addition of poultry litter biochar to the substrate was beneficial, promoting an increase in the analyzed seedling variables, being the ideal dose for good development of melon seedlings 12 t∙ha−1. The Yellow variety presented a better response than the Hales Best Jumbo to the charcoal application. Considering the advantages of the use of poultry litter biochar on the substrate composition, found in the present study, its utilization constitutes a viable alternative for the development of melon seedlings and for the environmental disposal of the poultry litter.

Biochar on Soil Chemical Properties and Beak Pepper (<i>Capsicun chinense</i>) Production

The transformation and recycling of poultry litter through the pyrolysis process produces a co-product called biochar which, applied to the soil, improves the chemical characteristics of the soil and is used as a soil fertilizer due to its high content of nutrients to plants. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of biochar, produced from poultry litter wastes on soil chemical properties and the culture of the beak pepper (Capsicun chinense). For this, the experimental units, corresponding to plastic vessels, were prepared with 5 kg of soil mixed with increasing doses of biochar: 0;2.5;5.0;7.5 and 10 t∙ha−1, with three replications. This material (soil + biochar) was incubated for 20 days keeping the humidity close to the field capacity. After this period, soil samples from the experimental units were collected and then chemically analyzed. The seedlings of pepper were produced in a greenhouse and transplanted to the experimental units when the seedlings were 15 cm tall. After 10 days of transplanting, thinning was done, leaving a plant/vessel. Biometric variables were analyzed at 120 DAS, after fruit harvesting: plant height (PH), stem diameter (SD), fresh shoot biomass (FSB), fresh fruit biomass (FFB), dry biomass of the aerial part (DSB) and the fruits (DFB). The results were submitted to analysis of variance and regression by orthogonal polynomials using the statistical program SISVAR. Biochar improved the soil chemical properties using as an acidity corrective and source of nutrients, mainly phosphorus and potassium. The doses used, in general, favored the development and production of the beak pepper, increasing the fresh shoot biomass, the fresh and dry fruit biomass. To improve the soil chemical properties, the highest biochar dose is recommended, that is, 10 ton∙ha−1, however, this dose can harm the production of pepper fruits, so for this crop 5 ton∙ha−1 should be recommended.

Biometry and Water Consumption of Sunflower as Affected by NPK Fertilizer and Available Soil Water Content under Semiarid Brazilian Conditions

The present study evaluated the effect of NPK fertilization and available soil water levels on the biometric response and water use of sunflower cv. Embrapa 122-V2000. The experiment was conducted at the Agricultural Engineering Department of the Federal University of Campina Grande, Paraiba State, Brazil, during 2009 and 2010, in a semi-controlled greenhouse using the Eutrofic Regosol. The treatments were defined according to a Baconian matrix, with eleven doses of the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium and four available soil water levels. The experiment was arranged in a complete randomized design, with three replicates, in a total of 132 sample units. No effect of N and K was observed on plant height. However, it increased significantly with P levels. The stem diameter and the leaf area were affected by the N and K and not by the P. The number of leaves increased significantly with the amount of N, P and K fertilizer. Available soil water content increased significantly in all the variables studied. The best sunflower performance and water consumption were obtained with the 100:120:120 kg&middotha-1 NPK and 100% of the available soil water content treatment.

Influence of Bentonite and MB4 on the Chemical Characteristics of an Oxisol

The growing concern with the quality of life and the environment, due to the degradation of natural resources and their contamination, mainly with agrochemicals, led to the emergence of a sustainable or alternative agriculture. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the addition of increasing doses of bentonite and MB4 on the availability of nutrients to the soil. The experiment consisted of a 4 × 4 factorial, bentonite doses (0, 30, 60 and 90 t&#8901;ha&#8722;1) and MB4 doses (0, 3, 6 and 9 t&#8901;ha&#8722;1) with three replications. The soil mixtures with the treatments were conditioned in the plastic pots, incubated for 90 days in a greenhouse, and chemically analyzed. Data were submitted to analysis of variance and comparison of means by the Tukey test. Increasing doses of bentonite and MB4 promoted an increase in the calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) in the soil sample either alone or the mixture of two factors, except for the mixture of the Ca Mg doses. Increasing doses of bentonite increased the cation exchange capacity of the soil, favoring the availability of nutrients in the soil. The increasing doses of MB4 favored the increase of the pH values and, consequently, decreased the soil potential acidity values for the applied bentonite doses. On the other hand, these treatments decreased the cation exchange capacity of the soil.

Using Poultry Litter Biochar and Rock Dust MB-4 on Release Available Phosphorus to Soils

Highly weathered soils in areas from Brazil are acidic soils, typically characterized by poor fertility, particularly with low soil phosphorus level. This laboratory experiment was carried out to evaluate the influences of biochar, made from the poultry litter and MB-4, rock dust from grinding of silicate rocks in increasing the available soil phosphorus on Ultisol, Oxisol and Entisol. Thus, one experiment involving soils incubation was conducted in laboratory, during 100 days. The treatments consisted of rock powder, MB-4 and poultry litter, biochar, evaluated by the base saturation method, with correction levels from 40% to 80% for Ultisol and Entisol and from 20% to 80% for Oxisol and three replicates. After the incubation period, the soil samples were analyzed in relation to available phosphorus in the soil. The results of this study confirmed that the biochar prepared from the poultry litter through slow pyrolysis was a potential source of phosphorus, particularly to weathered soils. Biochar released phosphorus into the soils. The biochar could be used in the improvement of available phosphorus for the three soils analyzed. During the incubation period, 100 days, the application of increasing doses of MB-4 in soils there was no improvement in the available soil phosphorus. MB-4 was not a source of phosphorus to the soil in a short term.

Dry Matter Production and Nutritional Status of Sunflower Grown in Nutrient Solution under Macronutrient Omission

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of omission of macronutrients on dry matter production and on the nutritional status of sunflower cv. BRS 122. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse, in randomized blocks, with seven treatments corresponding to the Hoagland & Arnon standard solution (1950) and the individual omission of N, P, K, Ca, Mg and S, in three replicates. After 50 days of sowing, the dry matter and the nutritional status of the plants were evaluated. The omission of N, P, K, Ca, Mg and S limited the dry mass production of sunflower cv. BRS 122 in relation to the complete solution, besides causing nutritional imbalance due to the interaction between the nutrients. The omission of the macronutrients K, Ca, and Mg caused the higher imbalances in the plants, highlighting the elevated N contents in these treatments comparing to the complete solution.

Yield and Water Use Efficiency of Green Maize Planted in Conditions Brazilian Semiarid

This study investigated the water use efficiency and yield for the production of green ears of corn subjected to irrigation with drip system and with potassium fertilizer levels in Sumé, Paraiba State, Brazil. The experimental design was a randomized design with four replications in a split plot design with six water slides (0.25 ETcp, 0.50 ETcp, 0.75 ETcp, 1.00 ETcp, 1.25 ETcp and 1.50 ETcp) and six doses of potassium (0, 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 kg·ha-1). The maize hybrid AG 1051 was mechanically sown on 13/01/2012 and the spikes in the green stage (doughy grains) were harvested 67 days after planting. Water consumption for producing one ton of maize cobs in the slides 132, 264, 396, 528, 660, and 792 mm of water within all treatments of potassium fertilization increased, indicating that the WUE decreases with the increasing amount of water applied via irrigation. Therefore, it was observed that the water use efficiency average was 61.76 mm·t-1 (2.02 kg·m3), i.e. for each m3 of water used 2.02 kg of ears of corn were produced with default. The application of 680.64 mm of water and 72.14 kg·ha-1 potassium maximized the yield of ears, resulting in the maximum yield of ears of 10.82 t·ha-1.

Bentonite Effects on Zinc Concentration in Plants Irrigated with Wastewater

A greenhouse study was conducted to investigate the effect of bentonite on zinc concentrations in radish and corn irrigated with wastewater. The experimental units were plastic pots with a capacity of 5 kg and 14 kg for radish and corn, respectively. The soil was mixed with increasing doses of bentonite equivalent to 0,?30,?60 and 90 t·ha-1. The plants were irrigated with poor quality water with a concentration of 5 mg·L-1?Zn. On the occasion of the harvest of radish and corn, that is, at 30 and 60 days after the emergence, respectively, the plants were separated in aerial part and roots, dried in a forced circulation oven, weighed and ground for analysis of zinc in the plant tissues. After these analyzes, the translocation factor (TF), the translocation index (TI), the bioaccumulation in the plant (BFP) and in the root (BFR) were calculated. According to the conditions of this research, the incorporation of bentonite to the soil irrigated with water of inferior quality favored the development of radish and corn;allowed the retention of the Zn metal in the soil, reducing the concentrations of this metal in the root of the radish and in the aerial part of the corn;decreased the transfer of zinc from the soil to the plants under study.

Growth and Development of Bell Peppers Submitted to Fertilization with Biochar and Nitrogen

The experiment was carried out in the greenhouse of the DEAg/UFCG, Campina Grande (PB), Brazil, to evaluate the growth and development of the bell pepper subjected to fertilization with biochar and nitrogen. The experiment was conducted in pots under greenhouse conditions. Treatments were arranged in a completely randomized design, in 4 × 4 factorial scheme, relative to four doses of biochar (0;7;14 and 21 m3&#8901;ha&#8722;1) and four doses of nitrogen (0;40;80 and 120 kg&#8901;ha&#8722;1), with three replicates. Considering the analysis of growth of bell pepper plants during the first 45 DAS, is recommended the average dose of biochar of 19 m3&#8901;ha&#8722;1 on vegetable behavior. Under the conditions of the experiment, nitrogen favored only the absolute growth rate of plant height and the stem diameter.

Growth and Production of Crambe Submitted to Doses of Nitrogen and Potassium

The dependence on non-renewable fuels of countries around the world increased the interest for the gradual replacement of fossil fuels with renewable ones. Thus, several development programs for the use of renewable sources for power generation have been created and, in this perspective, biofuels have been highlighted. Crambe is an alternative crop for the production of biodiesel due to its rusticity, precocity, high oil content and adaptability to different climates. Optimum management practices of fertilizer use in crambe cultivation are little known and there are no specific recommendations for its fertilization. Therefore, the objective of this research was to study the effects of mineral fertilizers concerning the nitrogen and potassium elements in the growth and production of crambe. The experiment was installed in a greenhouse, with a completely randomized design. Nitrogen doses used were 30, 60, 90 and 120 kg·ha-1and 50, 75, 100 to 125 kg·ha-1 for potassium. The increase in production was directly proportional to the increase in nitrogen levels. The potassium doses did not cause significant effect on the growth of crambe.

Effect of Copper, Zinc, Cadmium and Chromium in the Growth of Crambe

Crambe is a promising crop for biodiesel production. However, there is no much information available about techniques and research regarding the best performance in different regions to explore its potential. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of cadmium, chromium, copper and zinc in the development of crambe. The study was carried out in a greenhouse and it consisted of four independent experiments in completely randomized design, with three replications. Four metals with five levels were applied: 0, 10, 15, 20 and 25 mg·kg-1 for copper, cadmium, chromium;and 0, 20, 30, 40 and 50 mg·kg-1 for zinc, in order to evaluate the growth of crambe. Data were subjected to analysis of variance and comparison of means by Tukey test at 1 and 5% significance. Despite doses of cadmium, chromium, copper and zinc in growing crambe have influenced in some of the evaluated variables of the plants, in general, their development was similar in relation to doses and the metals applied. The importance of cultivating crambe is related to grain production, based on this, copper and cadmium decreased this production.