UREIA TRATADA COM NANOCELULOSE NO CULTIVO DE TOMATEIRO INDUSTRIAL

Abstract

Produced in more than a hundred countries, tomatoes are present on the population's table in various forms, from the simplest salad to industrialized products, such as sauces and extracts. The state of Goiás is the largest national producer of tomatoes, with the highest productivity index, and it gathers better climatic and topographic conditions for the cultivation of the fruit. This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of urea translated with nanocellulose in the cultivation of tomatoes for industrial processing. The experiment was conducted at the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology Goiano – Campus Morrinhos, located at BR-153 km 633. The soil is classified as a dystrophic red-yellow Latosol, with a clay texture. Planting was carried out in July 2019. The experimental design was done in randomized blocks, consisting of six treatments in five repetitions, one additional treatment. The treatments comprised 0; 60; 90; 120 and 150 kg ha-1 of Nitrogen (N), source urea treated with nanocellulose. The additional treatment was 120 kg ha-1 of N, a conventional urea source. The treatments with urea treated with nanocellulose were provided in a single portion in the planting furrow, and the additional treatment of conventional urea was divided into 3 stages during cultivation. The experimental units analyzed were 5.0 x 3.3 m. The following photosynthetic variables determined by the infrared gas analyzer (IRGA) ® were evaluated after 90 days of planting: photosynthetic rate, respiratory rate, stomatal conductance, internal and external CO2, electron transport rate and effective light used. At harvest time, green fruit weight, ripe fruit weight, rotten fruit weight, total productivity were evaluated. Then, at the moment, the fruits were taken to the laboratory and evaluated: mass, diameter, length, Brix, pH, total acidity and firmness. The doses of treated and conventional urea did not differ statistically in the cultivation of tomato for industrial processing. The use of the dose of 90 kg ha-1 provided fruits with greater firmness, when compared to other doses of the same product, conventional urea and the control. Urea treated with nanocellulose had better results in terms of productivity compared to conventional urea at the ideal dose of 120 kg ha-1 in relation to green fruits with a yield value of 39 tons. This study showed a great advantage of urea treated with nanocellulose in relation to conventional cultivation and reduction in the operations of covering fertilization, thus being able to present reduction in the production cost.