Sugarcane filter cake application to coffee crop and soil physical attributes

Abstract

Filter cakes are solid organic byproducts of the sugarcane industry that are generally used as fertilizers for crops such as coffee. Filter cake application has improved soil chemical, physical and microbiological attributes, especially for weathered soils. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of filter cake applications on the soil attributes cultivated with coffee in a Cerrado region. The study was conducted in a commercial coffee crop area (coffee cultivar Topázio MG 1190) in a Dystrophic Oxisol. The experimental design used was randomized blocks, in a factorial scheme of 4 x 4, with four doses of filter cake applied in the planting furrow (0, 4, 8, 12 L m-1) and four soil depths (0-0.1, 0.1-0.2, 0.2-0.3, 0.3-0.4 m). Soil density, soil mechanical resistance to root penetration, moisture, porosity (micro, macro, and total) and aggregate stability were evaluated. In general, the application of sugarcane filter cake over a long period has little effect on the soil's physical attributes, regardless of the filter cake rate used in the coffee crop. Only the soil porosity is affected by 12 L m-1 of filter cake, increasing the micro and macroporosity of the soil and promoting adequate conditions for the growth of coffee root, which can generate large soil water retention, benefiting coffee crops in the long-term.