Growth and development of cowpea under wood ash doses and liming

Abstract

Wood ash is a source of nutrients for plants and can be an option to correct and fertilize the soil, thus contributing to the increase of productivity and decreasing the costs in agricultural production by the use of mineral and organic fertilizers. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of combinations of wood ash doses and the absence and presence of liming on the growth and development of cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] cultivated in Oxisol. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse at the Federal University of Mato Grosso, Campus of Rondonopolis. The experimental design was in a randomized block, arranged in a factorial scheme 6 x 2, with four replications. The treatments consisted of six doses of wood ash (0; 9; 18; 27; 36; and 45 g dm-3) subjected to two conditions (without liming and with 60% liming of base saturation) in pots of 1.5 dm3. Cowpea was positively influenced by the use of wood ash as fertilizer and concealer, contributing to the growth and development of cowpea, obtaining better results in the dose intervals between 36 g dm-3 and 45 g dm-3.