Crushed amygdaloidal basalt rock and its effects on tomato production

Abstract

Abstract
 Sustainable agriculture plays an important role in agricultural productivity, in which it seeks to reduce dependence on conventional synthetic fertilizers (imported from Europe) and promote the use of alternative, low-cost and environmentally friendly sources. An experiment was carried out in the municipality of Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, with the objective of evaluating the efficiency and agronomic viability of using a mineral product (amygdaloid basalt powder) as an agricultural input on tomato productivity Solanum lycopersicum. The experimental design used was randomized blocks with six treatments and four replications, at doses 0 (treatment 1 - control), 1.0 ton ha-1 of rock dust (treatment 2), 2.5-ton ha-1 of rock dust (treatment 3), 3.5-ton ha-1 of rock dust (treatment 4), 4.5-ton ha-1 of rock dust (treatment 5), and recommended fertilization for tomato 5-20-20 NPK (treatment 6 - standard). The treatments were applied in December 2018 and the transplant took place in February 2019. According to the conditions under which the experiment was submitted and analyzing the results obtained, it can be inferred that the application of 1-ton ha-1 of amygdaloidal basalt in the soil increased parameters such as root length, stem diameter, green and dry mass of shoots and roots, number of flowers/plants, number of fruits/plant and productivity in tomato Solanum lycopersicum. It is a viable, sustainable, and low-cost strategy that contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 2) and can be replicated in Brazil and worldwide.