Abstract
The adequate supply of nitrogen to coffee plantation is one of the main challenges of organic agriculture. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of organic fertilization with two legume species in different intercropping periods on nitrogen nutrition, initial growth and productivity of coffee plantation. The experimental design was in randomized blocks, in 2x4 split-plot factorial design, being that the plot consisted of two intercrops (coffee+jack bean and coffee+hyacinth bean) and the four intercropping periods (30, 60, 90 and 120 days after sowing of the legume), and the subplot by 50% and 100% of fertilization for the coffee plantation. The increase in the intercropping period between legumes and coffee plantation favored a greater increase in height and node number of coffee trees, besides showing higher heights when fertilized with 50% of the recommended dose and intercropped with hyacinth bean. The intercropping with the hyacinth bean resulted in a larger crown diameter of coffee trees in 2010 and a larger diameter accumulated in the two evaluated years. Higher N contents were found in coffee trees fertilized with 100% of the recommended dose. The legumes supplied the nutritional requirements of the coffee harvest fertilized with 50% of the dose. The bean yield of the processed coffee is not affected by the intercropping with the green manures of jack bean or hyacinth bean.
Highlights
Chemical fertilizer increases the cost of crop yield and favors the growing demand for biological and renewable origin inputs
Jack bean accumulated more mass than hyacinth bean, mainly from 90 DASL, and there was no significant difference (p≥0.05) between the species in the 30 and 60 DASL periods. This fact is due to the physical characteristics of the species, which can be better distinguished from 60 days, when the stem/leaf ratio of jack bean is increased, accumulating more mass
In a study on the intercropping between organic coffee trees and jack bean and hyacinth bean, it was reported in the first experimental year that the dry matter (DM) accumulation by the jack bean was superior to hyacinth bean, 2.65 t ha-1 and 1.89 t ha-1, respectively (MOREIRA et al, 2014), indicating that there is consistency of the result obtained with those found by other authors
Summary
Chemical fertilizer increases the cost of crop yield and favors the growing demand for biological and renewable origin inputs. Nutrient cycling in coffee nutrition is becoming increasingly important In this sense, it is important to study nutritional alternatives aimed to reduce costs and dependence on industrial inputs, without implying significant losses of coffee productivity and quality (VILELA et al, 2011). The ability of the coffee tree to acquire nutrients depends on how the nutrient was applied (by organic or mineral), the efficiency of absorption mechanisms and the volume of soil explored by the roots, i.e., Coffee Science, Lavras, v. The plant’s ability to grow and produce well with certain nutrient content of the soil, called use efficiency (AMARAL et al, 2011). Supply of nitrogen in sufficient amounts to crops is one of the main challenges for organic coffee growing because, according to Guimarães et al (1999), it is necessary to apply 300 kg ha-1 year-1 N to produce 60 bags ha-1, approximately
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