Influência da Rochagem nos Atributos Químicos e Microbiológicos do Solo e na Produtividade da Cultura do Milho

Abstract

Nowadays, corn (Zea mays) is one of the most cultivated cereals in Brazil, mainly due to its physiological characteristics, high production potential and good sales price on the market. In this sense, having soil with adequate amounts of nutrients is always essential to maintain good growth and development of crops. However, due to rising fertilizer prices, looking for alternative ways to provide nutrients to plants is becoming increasingly common, as production costs are becoming increasingly expensive. Rock dust can fulfill this role well, as they are important promoters of the release of several important chemical elements for plants, generating important benefits from both a financial and productive point of view. Therefore, the objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of rock on the chemical and microbiological attributes of the soil and on corn productivity. The experiment was conducted under field conditions at the Fazenda Experimental de Ciências Agrárias of the Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados (FAECA - UFGD), in the municipality of Dourados MS. The experimental design was randomized blocks, with twelve repetitions each. The agronomic characteristics of corn were evaluated: number of corn plants (NPLM), number of corn ears (NE), stalk diameter (DC), ear diameter (DE), ear length (CE), Number of grains per ear (NFG), number of grains per row (NGF), mass of 1000 grains (M1000), grain yield (PG), grain weight per ear (PGE) and number of grains per ear (NGE); the microbiological attributes of the soil: soil microbial biomass (CBMS), microbial respiration (C-CO2) and metabolic quotient (qC-CO2); leaf analysis of corn crops: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg), and; chemical attributes of the soil. The data were subjected to analysis of variance and in case of significance, the means were compared using the t test, at 5% probability. In the 0-0.2 m depth layer, the chemical attributes were not influenced by the application of basalt powder; in the 0.2-0.4 m deep layer, the potassium content of the soil in the treatments in which basalt powder was applied was significantly higher, with an increase of 83% in the soil in relation to the treatment that did not receive basalt powder ; the microbiological attributes of the soil and the leaf concentrations of N, P, Ca and Mg were not influenced by rocking; the number of rows (NF) was influenced by the application of basalt powder, with a 3.3% decrease in NF in the area that received the basalt powder. The other production components were not influenced. No significant difference was found in the use of basalt powder in the yield of corn crops, which can be attributed to climatic adversities.