Abstract
This study evaluated the biomass flow of irrigated Pennisetum purpureum cv. Cameroon fertilized with different levels of organic compost made from waste derived from production and slaughter of sheep and goat farming. The experiment was conducted in a cut and carry of elephant grass for four 60 day-cycles. The treatments consisted of levels of organic compost (0; 13.3; 26.6; 39.9; 53.2; 79.8) ton ha-1, besides a mineral treatment with nitrogen and potassium of 720 and 900 kg ha-1 yr-1, respectively. This was a split plot randomized block design with repeated measures over time, in which levels were assigned to plots, and cycles, to subplots. Morphogenetic characteristics of elephant grass were influenced by levels of the compost. Forage production rate had increased linearly with levels of the compost in all cycles, while the forage accumulation rate responded quadratically to doses of compost in cycles 1 and 2. The contrast analysis between organic x mineral fertilization revealed, for all cycles, except the first, superiority of morphogenetic indices for mineral fertilizer. It can be concluded that the elephant grass responded to the organic compost and it is recommended the use of 70.63 ton ha-1.
Highlights
Sheep and goat farming is a relevant agricultural activity in the Brazilian economy
Data relating to average conditions of temperature, relative humidity, rainfall and solar radiation ofthe cycles (1, 2, 3, 4) were (28.5; 27.7; 27; 27.9 °C), (89; 92; 97.7; 88%) (77; 279; 374; 10 mm) (1416.7; 1441.4; 1327.6; 1420.1 kJ m2), respectively collected by a weather station belonging to the National Institute of Meteorology (INMET, 2014)
Considering the analysis of variance, except for leaf appearance rate (LAR), there was a significant effect for the linear model for the other variables (Table 3)
Summary
Sheep and goat farming is a relevant agricultural activity in the Brazilian economy. Brazil ranks 18th in world position, with 25.4 million animals (ANUALPEC, 2014). Composting is a technique that allows the reuse of the by-product derived from the activity in the production system, minimizing environmental problems and enhancing its use as organic fertilizer. According to Bellaver and Konzen (2010), composting adds fertilizing value to waste, reducing the population of pathogenic bacteria, in addition to favoring the beneficial bacteria of the composted material. Considering the technical production indices for sheep and goat farming, such as average prolificacy rate (1.5 offspring year-1); mortality (10%) and average weight of carcasses with one year of age (20 kg animal-1) (PRIMO et al, 2014; SOUZA et al, 2016), it is estimated a production of 22 thousand tons of carcasses that added 1.5 or 2.0 tons of structuring materials (manure and waste of farming) used in the composting process, which would generate 60.5 thousand tons of compost annually
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