Residual production of pineapple biomass under different levels of nitrogen and potassium in northwestern Paraná

Abstract

Emphasis on studies that seek sustainable energy alternatives to oil has increased over the last few years. Ethanol derived from sugarcane remains a promising technology for biofuel production. Waste from pineapple culture remains is a potential alternative raw material for biofuel production. The goal of this study was to determine the potential of residual biomass production of a pineapple crop, subjected to fertilization by different levels of nitrogen and potassium. The experiment was conducted in Northwest Paraná, in a commercial area in Santa Isabel do Ivaí-PR. The climate in this area is subtropical humid according to the Köppen classification, and has a sandy dystrophic red acrisol.The experimental design was a 4 × 4 factorial, where factor A:N doses (0; 11; 22; and 33 g per plant) and factor B:K2O doses (0; 11; 22; and 33 g per plant. The production of residual pineapple biomass responded differently to the N and K doses applied. Potassium fertilization had a positive linear correlation, up to the addition of 33 g plant-1 with a production of 5.88 Mg ha-1. A dose of 18.138 g plant-1 yielded in the maximum dry biomass production for nitrogen fertilization.