Timing and placement of cattle manure and/or gliricidia affects cotton and sunflower nutrient accumulation and biomass productivity.

Dário C Primo,Everardo V.S.B Sampaio,Rômulo S.C Menezes,José Carlos B Dubeux Júnior,Fabio F De Oliveira

doi:10.1590/0001-3765201820150841

Abstract

Organic fertilizers are a viable alternative to increase oilseed productivity in family agriculture systems. The study aimed to evaluate the effects of timing and placement of cattle manure and/or gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium Jacq. Walp) prunings on cotton (Gossipium hirsutum L.) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) nutrient accumulation and biomass productivity. Experiments were carried out in 2010 and 2011 in Taperoá, Paraíba, Brazil. The organic fertilization treatments were: GI - gliricidia incorporated before planting; GS - gliricidia applied on surface 45 days after planting (DAP); MI + GI - manure and gliricidia incorporated before planting; MI + GS - manure incorporated before planting and gliricídia applied on the surface 45 DAP; MI - manure incorporated before planting; and T - with no organic fertilization. In 2010, treatment MI + GS increased N, P, and K accumulation in cotton (12 and 7 kg ha-1) as well as in sunflower (20 and 29 kg ha-1). In 2011, GI and GS treatments resulted in higher N, P, K accumulations in both crops. The highest cotton productivity in 2010 was obtained with MI + GS treatment (198 kg ha-1) and in 2011 with GS treatment (594 kg ha-1). For sunflower, MI + GS treatment yielded the highest productivity in 2010 (466 kg ha-1) and GI treatment in 2011 (3542 kg ha-1). GI and MI + GS treatments increased total biomass productivity for cotton and sunflower. The treatment that combined both cattle manure incorporated into the soil before planting and gliricidia applied on the surface 45 days after planting was the most viable management strategy.

Highlights

Soils in Northeastern Brazil, in general, have intermediate fertility levels with adequate amountsBrazil, soil organic matter is the main source of nutrients (Tiessen et al 2001)
The treatments were: GI – gliricidia prunings incorporated into the soil before planting; GS - gliricidia prunings applied on the soil surface 45 days after planting; MI + GI – cattle manure + gliricidia incorporated into the soil before planting; MI + GS - manure incorporated into the soil before planting and gliricidia applied on the soil surface 45 days after planting; MI - manure incorporated into the soil before planting; and T – control treatment without fertilizers
GI - gliricidia incorporated into the soil before planting; GS - gliricidia applied on the soil surface 45 days after planting; MI + GI Gliricidia + manure incorporated before planting; MI + GS - manure incorporated before planting and Gliricidia applied on the soil surface 45 days after planting; MI - manure incorporated before planting; T - control treatment without fertilizer and VC - variation coefficient

Summary

Introduction

Soil organic matter is the main source of nutrients (Tiessen et al 2001). The use of manure or crop residues is the most widely used practice of fertilization in this region (Severino et al 2006), but there are still few articles about organic fertilizer management strategies. Gliricidia is a legume with high ability to produce biomass of rapid decomposition (Handayanto et al 1994, Marin et al 2006) and its use as green manure has been recommended in semi-arid NE Brazil (Barreto and Fernandes 2001). Depending on the management strategy, decomposition can be so rapid that N is released before the period of the greatest need by the crops and can be lost especially by leaching in years with higher rainfall (Palm et al 2001)

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Conclusion