Productivity of Lettuce Under Organic Fertilization

José Júnior A Sarmento,José Wilson Da S Barbosa,Silva Marinês P Bomfim,Ivando C De Macedo,Caciana C Costa,Maila V Dantas,Kilson P Lopes

doi:10.5539/jas.v11n1p335

Abstract

Organic fertilizersare a viable alternative to reduce the expenses associated with synthetic fertilizers, besides improving the chemical, physical and biological attributes of the soil and promoting the increase of productivity in the cultivation of vegetables. The aim of this research was to evaluate the effect of goat manure applicatiosn on lettuce yield, cv. Cristina. The experiment was conducted at the Center for Agri-Food Science and Technology, Federal University of Campina Grande in the municipality of Pombal, PB, Brazil. The experiment was conducted in randomized blocks with treatments composed of five goat manure percentages (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100%), considering 100% of the recommended dose being 36.50 ton/ha de goat manure, in five replications, using a spacing of 0.25 &times; 0.25 m between plants. Harvesting was performed 30 days after transplanting the seedlings. The following parameters were analyzed: aerial part height, plant diameter, number of leaves, aerial fresh weight, root fresh weight, total fresh weight, aerial dry weight, root dry weight, total dry weight, root volume and productivity. The data were submitted to polynomial regression analysis. When the lettuce plants cv. Cristina were fertilized with 75% of the N ratio required for maximum production, the goat manure application produced the greatest development and increase productivity.

Highlights

The consumption of leafy vegetables, such as lettuce, is widely recommended, since these foods provide innumerable benefits to the body, such as organic development and regulation of the body, due to its high content of vitamins and minerals (Martins et al, 2008)
The lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), belonging to the Asteraceae family, stands out among the leafy vegetables, being the most consumed by the Brazilian population, besides being widely cultivated in all countries (Silva, Pinheiro, Paula, & Prigol, 2015)
For aerial part height (Figure 1A), there is a positive response to the increasing use of goat manure doses, obtaining a higher performance of the variable when applied to the 100% dose (36.50 ton/ha of goat manure) resulting, according to the derivative of the equation, in a maximum average of 23.95 cm per plant, showing the significant effect of the availability of nutrients through manure

Summary

Introduction

The consumption of leafy vegetables, such as lettuce, is widely recommended, since these foods provide innumerable benefits to the body, such as organic development and regulation of the body, due to its high content of vitamins and minerals (Martins et al, 2008). The lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), belonging to the Asteraceae family, stands out among the leafy vegetables, being the most consumed by the Brazilian population, besides being widely cultivated in all countries (Silva, Pinheiro, Paula, & Prigol, 2015). Due to the large demand for lettuce, it is important in improve the production practices that will increase its availability. Organic fertilization appears to be a good option for reducing mineral fertilizers expenditures, due to the greater availability of nutrients, especially nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur and micronutrients, increasing the pH, as well as the indirect benefits to the soil’s physical, chemical and biological properties, and, thereby, increasing crop productivity (Kiehl et al, 1999; Santos et al, 1999; Santi et al, 2010)

Objectives

Methods

Results