Tomato yield and quality under various combinations of organic compost

Fernando Cassimiro Tinoco França,Marinalva Woods Pedrosa,Lanamar De Almeida Carlos,Gabriel Mascarenhas Maciel,Ernani Clarete Da Silva

doi:10.14393/bj-v32n5a2016-33057

Abstract

The number of growers and planted area dedicated to organic farming have increased considerably. Consequently, demand has increased for alternative organic composts in terms of quantity and new options for direct use with crops. Making use of local industrial byproducts is also important throughout Brazil and the rest of the world. Therefore, it was evaluated the effect of eight types of organic composts, produced with different percentages of poultry litter and crushed sugarcane on tomato yield and quality. The experiment was carried out during the 2013 growing season at the experimental farm of the Agricultural Research Company of Minas Gerais state ( Empresa de Pesquisa Agropecuaria do Estado de Minas Gerais ) located in Prudente de Morais, MG, Brazil. It was evaluated different formulations of poultry litter and crushed sugarcane (0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 50, 60 and 70%) yielding eight types of alternative Bokashi used as organic compost in the production of two tomato cultivars (Santa Clara and the Verano hybrid). It was found that the various formulations of alternative Bokashi, except the alternative Bokashi B1, strengthened components of tomato yield and quality. We found that composts of poultry litter and crushed sugarcane increase tomato yield and quality and can be and excellent alternative, especially for organic farmers.

Highlights

Brazilians and others around the world are opting for organic products
From 2014 to 2015 the number of organic farmers in Brazil increased by 51.7% with the greatest concentration (333,000 hectares) in the southeast of the country (MAPA, 2015)
Organic fertilizers are highly beneficial for plants, especially when applied months before planting (FILGUEIRA, 2008; SEDIYAMA, et al, 2014)

Summary

Introduction

Brazilians and others around the world are opting for organic products. More than 750,000 hectares of farmland in Brazil are managed organically. From 2014 to 2015 the number of organic farmers in Brazil increased by 51.7% with the greatest concentration (333,000 hectares) in the southeast of the country (MAPA, 2015). Increases in the area of cultivated land have led to greater demand for organic fertilizers. Organic fertilizers are highly beneficial for plants, especially when applied months before planting (FILGUEIRA, 2008; SEDIYAMA, et al, 2014). Tomatoes require relatively high fertilizer applications to maximize productivity. Most soils in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais require 1,200 kg ha-1 of P2O5 to produce 100 tons of tomatoes per hectare in conventional cultivation (FILGUEIRA et al, 1999). Reducing applications of P2O5 by up to 100 kg ha-1 on tomato crops can save BR R$200.00 per hectare or approximately BR R$ 11 million nationwide (SILVA; MALUF, 2012)

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Results

Conclusion