PRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE OF TIFTON 85 GRASS (Cynodon spp.), WITH SHEEP MANURE (Atena Editora)

Abstract

Organic fertilization is an alternative form of fertilization that not only takes advantage of the internal resources available on rural properties, but also raises environmental concerns through the contamination of soils and bodies of water due to the inadequate handling of industrial fertilizers and their high costs. The experiment was carried out at the Experimental Farm of the Vale do Acaraú State University - UVA, Sobral, CE-Brazil, with the aim of evaluating the production of Tifton 85 grass (Cynodon spp.), harvested at 30 and 62 days after planting. Organic fertilizer was applied on 01/08/2022 in the furrow of each row and incorporated into the soil, followed by planting with stolons of Tifton 85 grass (Cynodon spp.). During the experimental period, the grass was irrigated twice a day one hour per shift via a sprinkler irrigation system. Plant height, number of tillers and green mass weight were measured on the days the Tifton 85 grass was cut. When measuring plant height, a ruler graduated in centimeters was used, based on the level of the ground at leaf height, measuring the plants within the frame. On the same day, the density of the tillers was estimated by counting them inside the 0.25 m frame2. The grass material collected was placed in a plastic bag, identified and sent to the FAEX/UVA laboratory to be weighed for its green mass (g). After weighing the green mass, the samples were placed in paper bags and dried at 65°C for 72 hours in a forced ventilation oven, followed by weighing the dry mass (g). The yield of green and dry mass per hectare was calculated by a rule of three between the green and dry mass obtained in the frame (0.25 m2) in relation to one hectare (10,000 m2), converting the units (g) into tons (t). The design used in the experiment was a randomized block, arranged in a simple scheme, with five doses of sheep manure incorporated into the soil (0; 4.22; 8.44; 12.67 and 16.89 t ha-1) in four replications. The doses of sheep manure incorporated into the soil had no significant influence (P> 0.05) on plant height, tiller number, green mass and dry mass of the aerial part of the plants in the first cut at 30 days. The doses of sheep manure had a significant influence (P< 0.05) only on the green mass productivity of the Tifton 85 grass in the second cut at 62 days. In the third cut at 92 days, there was no significant effect of the sheep manure doses on PA and NP, but there were linear responses of MV and DM yields to the sheep manure doses. In the fourth cut at 122 days, there was no significant effect of the sheep manure doses on the parameters assessed in the Tifton 85 grass plants.