Technical viability of improving soil chemical characteristics by using biofertilizers

Abstract

Applying biofertilizers made from wastes from tropical forest agroextrativism to improve the fertility of acidic and nutrient-poor soils is a viable strategy for sustainable development of family farming in Brazil's North region. In this respect, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of applying biofertilizers based on locally available organic wastes on the fertility of a Dystrophic Yellow Latosol. The experiment was carried out in the Fazendinha experimental field of the Embrapa Amapá research unit, located in the municipality of Macapá, Amapá. We used a randomized block design with split-plots in space, with five replications. The plots consisted of seven fertilizations, with a control treatment (without fertilization) and six biofertilizers based on fresh cattle manure, shoot of Cecropia sp., leaves of Gliricidia sepium or Inga edulis and leaf sheath of Euterpe oleracea or pseudostem of Musa sp.; and the subplots were the two soil depths analyzed (0 to 2.5 and 2.5 to 5 cm). The biofertilizers promoted the correction of the soil acidity, increased the contents of organic matter, P, K + , Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , and raised the sum of bases, cation exchange capacity and base saturation percentage, especially in the surface layer. It was observed a reduction in the chemical limitations on the Dystrophic Yellow Latosol by applying biofertilizers based on locally available organic wastes and the increase in organic matter in the soil positively correlated with the increase in the levels of the beneficial chemical attributes of the Dystrophic Yellow Latosol.