Nowadays much of the chemical fertilizers used in Brazil come from imports, what creates the necessity to seek for alternative fertilizers. One possibility is organic fertilizers, including poultry litter, which presents increasing availability in various regions of the country, due to the expansion of the poultry industry. Despite its availability, there are no enough studies that show the benefits of using poultry litter on soybeans in substitution of mineral fertilizer. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of different doses of poultry litter on leaf chlorophyll content, nodulation, and development of soybean plants. It was used a completely randomized design with five doses of poultry litter (0, 1, 2, 4 and 8 t ha-1) and a control with mineral fertilizer with four repetitions. On stages R1 and R5, chlorophyll readings were done using a portable meter and also the measurement of plant height. Plants were cut near the surface, roots were washed and the nodules were detached and counted. After that, it was determined the dry weight of plant roots, nodules, and shoots. Soybean fertilization with poultry litter increases the chlorophyll content of leaves, plant height, shoot dry matter, root dry matter, and nodulation. The use of poultry litter on soybean favors its growth with decreasing increments, except for root dry matter, and with an optimum dose for each variable. The supply of poultry litter can replace mineral fertilizers in terms of soybean growth.

No abstract

No abstract

The use of intercropping sorghum-palisadegrass for grain and straw production has become an advantageous cultivation option, can provide improvements in physical and chemical soil properties, maximizes production and income to the growers. There are still many management gaps to be improved in this intercropping in order that grower has the best outcome. Considering this, the objective of this study was to evaluate different sowing dates of palisadegrass in relation to sorghum, and evaluate the yield of soybean cultivated in succession. Palisadegrass was sown in monocrop and also between the lines of sorghum at different times (0, 15 and 25 days after sowing sorghum), as well the sorghum in monocrop. Soybeans were grown in succession on the straw of the mentioned treatments. It was evaluated biomass production and grain yield. Sowing palisadegrass and sorghum on the same day reduced sorghum grain yield and the palisadegrass biomass production. However, if palisadegrass are sowed 15 days after sorghum sowing, did not reduce the sorghum grain yield. Also, if the producer aims to produce sorghum grains, it is better to delay the sowing of palisadegrass in relation to sorghum. Although, if the producer aims to produce residual dry biomass, it is better to sow palisadegrass on the same day as sorghum or monocrop palisadegrass. Soybean yield did not differ among treatments when grown on different straws in the first year of cultivation.

The use of animal residues from poultry as an organic fertilizer is a sustainable way to dispose of the production system, but there is still a need for further studies on the dynamics of nutrient availability. The objective of this work was to evaluate the use of poultry litterassociated with nitrogen fertilizer in the corn(Zea mays) crop and the availability of nitrogen from the residueduring three years of cultivation. The factors consisted of poultry litterdoses (2, 5 and 8 Mg ha-1) and nitrogen doses (0, 50, 100, 150, 200 kgha-1). The control group received mineral fertilizer at the dose of 120, 80 and 20 kg ha-1of P2O5, K2O and N, respectively, and covered with 200 kg ha-1of N. SPAD index readings, plant height, ear height, yield, one hundred grain mass and number of grains per spike were made.The highest doses of poultry litter(5 and 8 Mg ha-1) in three consecutive years, even without N broadcast, propitiates similar yieldto the mineral fertilizer control in the corn crop, thus, the poultry litter is an alternative viable in long-term corncrop fertilization.