USE OF ENHANCED-EFFICIENCY FERTILIZERS IN THE BANANA CROP

• Grant number: 08/08371-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2008
• End date: November 30, 2009
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Soil Science
• Principal Investigator: Leandro José Grava de Godoy
• Grantee: Juliana Macedo Gomes
• Host Institution: Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Registro. Registro , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The region of the Ribeira Valley accounts for about 70% of the banana production of the São Paulo state (Brazil). The banana crop requires large quantities of nutrients to maintain adequate vegetative growth and reproductive systems. Nitrogen is one of the most nutrients required by the crop, but part of the nitrogen applied is lost in the soil-plant system through volatilization, erosion and leaching. Analyzing these factors, this work aims to evaluate N alternative sources with improved efficiency in the banana crop to maximize their efficiency, reduce losses, operating costs and damage to the environment. The experiment will be in randomized blocks, with four repetitions and treatments will consist of slow-release fertilizer, controlled or stabilized to be used in topdressing fertilization: 1. NPK fertilizer with N slow-release (methylene urea), 2. nitrogen fertilizer with controlled release, covered with organic resin and sulphur, 3. nitrogen fertilizer with controlled release, covered with marine calcium, 4. fertilizer with nitrogen stabilized (with nitrification inhibitor - DMPP), 5. fertilizer with nitrogen stabilized (with the nitrification inhibitor - terpenes) and controlled release (coated with oil resin composed). Apart from these will be applied plus a treatment using mineral NPK fertilizer. The characteristics to be evaluated during the experiment will be: soil chemical characteristics; pseudostem length and diameter; number of leaves; nutritional status of the plant; yield of fruit and economic evaluation of the use of enhanced-efficiency fertilizers.