Different sources of phosphorus in coffee tree formation

Abstract

Arabica coffee is one of the main crops in Brazil and requires balanced nutrition. Among the nutrients, phosphorus is essential in planting so that seedlings can be successful in the after transplanting, allowing a good development and growth. The use of quality seedlings and balanced fertilization is essential for this, however, Brazilian soils, due to their mineral origins, have the characteristic of adsorbing part of the applied phosphorus, making it unavailable to plants. Therefore, the objective of this work is to verify if the sources of phosphorus when applied to the soil can be more efficient in relation to the growth and initial development of the coffee tree. The study was carried out in randomized blocks with five treatments and five replications: T1 - formulation 02-10-00; T2 - formulation 00-15-00; T3 - formulation 10-49-00; T4 - formulation 00-19-00; T5 - control, where phosphorus was not applied. After 120 days, after planting, the characteristics of the seedlings were measured, verifying root length, plant height, fresh matter, dry matter and leaf area index. Data were submitted to analysis of variance and Scott-Knott test with 5% probability. It was concluded that the treatments T1 (02-10-00) and T3 (10-49-00) provided better coffee development, proving to be a valid option for the coffee grower aiming at a better performance of phosphorus (P), an element of great complexity in plant nutrition in tropical soils.