Melon Seedlings Phytomass under Poultry Litter Biochar Doses

L.G De Souza Laurentino,Josely Dantas Fernandes,Lúcia Helena Garófalo Chaves,Jean Pereira Guimarães,Washington Benevenuto De Lima,Antônio Ramos Cavalcante,Felipe Guedes De Souza,Hugo Orlando Carvallo Guerra

doi:10.4236/as.2021.123012

Abstract

The use of organic waste for the preparation of seedling substrates is an important environmental and economic option. In this perspective, substrates using biochar emerges as an alternative for seedling production due to their favorable physical and chemical characteristics. The present study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of doses of poultry litter biochar as a substrate constituent for the production and quality of the seedlings. The work was conducted in a semi protected environment, belonging to the Federal University of Campina Grande—UFCG. The statistical design used was completely randomized in a 6 × 2 factorial scheme, consisting of 6 doses of biochar (0, 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20 t∙ha−1) and two varieties of melon (Yellow and Hales Best Jumbo) with 4 repetitions totaling 48 experimental units. The fresh and dry plant phytomass mass (aerial, roots and total), root length and the quality of seedlings were evaluated. It was concluded that the addition of poultry litter biochar to the substrate was beneficial, promoting an increase in the analyzed seedling variables, being the ideal dose for good development of melon seedlings 12 t∙ha−1. The Yellow variety presented a better response than the Hales Best Jumbo to the charcoal application. Considering the advantages of the use of poultry litter biochar on the substrate composition, found in the present study, its utilization constitutes a viable alternative for the development of melon seedlings and for the environmental disposal of the poultry litter.

Highlights

The melon (Cucumis melo L.) is an oleracea of great national and international economic importance and being an oleracea, in Brazil is commercialized as a fruit [1]
This increase was expected since the pH of the poultry litter biochar was 9.45
The results agree with [24] who working with poultry litter biochar doses observed an increase of the Electrical Conductivity (EC), with the biochar application reaching a value of 0.39 dS∙m−1 with the 30 t∙ha−1 dose

Summary

Introduction

The melon (Cucumis melo L.) is an oleracea of great national and international economic importance and being an oleracea, in Brazil is commercialized as a fruit [1]. The melon is much appreciated, occupying in Brazil an area of 23.324 thousand ha with a fruit production of 581.478 thousand tons [2]. The crop is concentrated in these regions mainly due to the favorable characteristics of the soil and climate of the semi-arid that influence positively the growth, development and productivity of the melon [3]. The characteristic of the substrate influences highly the seedlings development, because provides beyond of physical support, nutritional supply until the transplant of them to the definitive production local [6]. Good quality seedlings will develop better and will provide a radicular system with better adaptation capability for the new local after transplant, affecting significatively the production [8]

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Results

Conclusion