PÓ DE ROCHA EM ALFACE: UM ESTUDO ENVOLVENDO VARIAÇÃO DE CULTIVARES

Abstract

Stonemeal is a technology that aims to reverse the excessive use of chemical inputs, as well as becoming a practice easily assimilated by farmers. But little is known about its effect on vegetables such as lettuce. The objective of this work was to evaluate the performance of lettuce cultivars as a function of rock powder application. The experimental design used was randomized blocks in a 5x2 factorial, corresponding to five concentrations of rock dust (0, 100, 200, 300 and 400 kg ha-1), in two lettuce cultivars Solta Crespa (Vanda) and Repolhuda Americana (Lucy Brown). The variables analyzed were fresh head weight and yield. The results were subjected to analysis of variance, where the description of the variables was performed as a function of the rock dust concentrations, performing the polynomial regression observing the significance of the F test. At the end of the experiment, we concluded that under the study conditions that the rock powder applied in the amount of 400 kg ha-1 had no effect on the analyzed characteristics, however, new studies should be carried out, or even conducted for a longer time, since the mineralization of nutrients in the powder of rock occurs gradually.