EFEITO DOS MICRORGANISMOS EFICIENTES NO DESENVOLVIMENTO DA ALFACE (Lactuca sativa L.)

Abstract

Lactuca sativa is one of the most cultivated and consumed leafy vegetables in Brazil, standing out for its high nutritional value and wide market acceptance. However, conventional cultivation requires intensive use of chemical fertilizers, which may cause environmental impacts and increase production costs. In this context, the use of effective microorganisms (EM) emerges as a sustainable alternative, promoting improvements in soil fertility and plant development. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of applying effective microorganisms on the growth of lettuce. The experiment was conducted at the Instituto Federal Goiano – Campus Morrinhos in a completely randomized design, with four treatments and four replications. The treatments consisted of: T1 (control, without application), T2 (one application), T3 (two applications), and T4 (three EM applications). The variables evaluated were plant height, number of marketable leaves, number of damaged leaves, fresh mass, and shoot dry mass. Data were subjected to analysis of variance, and means were compared using Tukey’s test at 5% probability. The results showed no statistically significant differences for most of the analyzed variables. However, a significant effect was observed for the number of marketable leaves, with emphasis on the treatment with one EM application. It is concluded that the application of effective microorganisms positively influenced an important qualitative attribute of the crop, although it did not significantly increase overall productivity.