Effect of biofertilizer on soil fertility and lettuce nutrition

• Published in: Revista Agrogeoambiental Vol. 12; no. 1
• Main Authors: Sousa, Westefann dos Santos, Pontes, José Roberto Verginio de, Melo, Osmanny Francisco Pereira de
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Sul de Minas Gerais 17.07.2020
• Subjects: Lactuca sativa L. Organic production. Efficient microorganisms. Organic cocktail
• ISSN: 1984-428X; 2316-1817
• DOI: 10.18406/2316-1817v12n120201414

This work aimed to evaluate the effect of the application of efficient microorganisms (EM), in the form of a biofertilizer, on soil fertility and leaf nutrition of lettuce during two crop cycles. One of the biggest challenges of organic production is the fertilization of crops. EMs are considered an alternative, sustainable, safe and low-cost technique to increase the productivity of organic foods, and their use is a good option for agroecological management. For the capture of the EMs and the production of the biofertilizer, a rice substrate was used, according to the methodology used by Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Cattle and Supplying (MAPA, in Portuguese: Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento). Soil samples were collected at the beginning of the first cycle and at the end of the second cycle. The samples were sent for chemical analysis, in order to evaluate possible changes in the concentration of Ca, Mg, K, P and Zn, as well as the levels of CTC, base saturation, organic matter and pH. For leaf analysis, leaf concentrations of the following nutrients were observed: N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, B, Cu Fe, Mn, Zn. The results were satisfactory for the treatment that received weekly application of efficient microorganisms, which resulted in a greater increase of the elements K, Zn and Ca in the soil. As for leaf concentrations, there was a significant difference for N and P (48 and 9.2 g kg-1, respectively) in the treatment used with biofertilizer.