Impact of biochar and SiO2 fertilization on the development of the banana tree

Abstract

Bananas have high nutrient needs, and farmers rely on chemical fertilizers that damage the soil. One of the solutions is the combination of organic fertilizers with chemical fertilizers in smaller amounts. In this context, the objective was to measure the development of a banana cultivar in different treatments of biochar plus fixed doses of SiO2, KNO3 and P2O5. Biochar (BC) was obtained from banana rhizomes at a temperature of 350 °C for 2 hours. In the experiment, 10 plants per treatment were evaluated, consisting of doses per plant of 100 g BC + 100 g SiO2, 20 g BC + 100 g SiO2 and 100 g SiO2 (control plot). These doses were applied in weeks one, eight and 16 of the experiment. The fertilizer dose for all treatments was 75 kg ha-1 KNO3 + 50 kg ha-1 P2O5, and which were applied 15 days prior to the biocarbon dose and during the sixth week of the experiment. The study showed that the 20 g biochar treatment was the most effective in terms of plant height and pseudostem circumference, surpassing the 100 g treatment and the control. The 100g biochar treatment also had the highest bunch weight compared to other treatments. In general, the biochar, silicon, and fertilizer treatments improved the physiological performance of the plants, suggesting their potential application in agriculture.