Composted Sewage Sludge Enhances Soybean Production and Agronomic Performance in Naturally Infertile Soils (Cerrado Region, Brazil)
Adrielle Rodrigues Prates,
Aline Renée Coscione,
Marcelo Carvalho Minhoto Teixeira Filho,
Bruno Gasparoti Miranda,
Orivaldo Arf,
Cassio Hamilton Abreu-Junior,
Fernando Carvalho Oliveira,
Adônis Moreira,
Fernando Shintate Galindo,
Maria Márcia Pereira Sartori,
Zhenli He,
Arun Dilipkumar Jani,
Gian Franco Capra,
Antonio Ganga,
Thiago Assis Rodrigues Nogueira
Affiliations
Adrielle Rodrigues Prates
Department of Plant Protection, Rural Engineering, and Soils, São Paulo State University, Av. Brazil Sul n◦ 56, Ilha Solteira 15.385-000, SP, Brazil
Aline Renée Coscione
Center of Soils and Environmental Resources of the Campinas Agronomic Institute, Av. Barão de Itapura n◦ 1481, Campinas 13020-902, SP, Brazil
Marcelo Carvalho Minhoto Teixeira Filho
Department of Plant Protection, Rural Engineering, and Soils, São Paulo State University, Av. Brazil Sul n◦ 56, Ilha Solteira 15.385-000, SP, Brazil
Bruno Gasparoti Miranda
Department of Plant Protection, Rural Engineering, and Soils, São Paulo State University, Av. Brazil Sul n◦ 56, Ilha Solteira 15.385-000, SP, Brazil
Orivaldo Arf
Department of Plant Technology, Food Technology, and Partner Economics, São Paulo State University, Av. Brazil Sul n◦ 56, Ilha Solteira 15.385-000, SP, Brazil
Cassio Hamilton Abreu-Junior
Center of Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Centenário n◦ 303, Piracicaba 13416-000, SP, Brazil
Fernando Carvalho Oliveira
Biossolo Agricultura & Ambiente, R. Campos Salles n◦ 1152, Piracicaba 13416-310, SP, Brazil
Adônis Moreira
Department of Soil Science, Embrapa Soja, Rodovia Carlos João Strass, Londrina 86001-970, PR, Brazil
Fernando Shintate Galindo
Department of Plant Protection, Rural Engineering, and Soils, São Paulo State University, Av. Brazil Sul n◦ 56, Ilha Solteira 15.385-000, SP, Brazil
Maria Márcia Pereira Sartori
Department of Crop Science, São Paulo State University, Av. Universitária n◦ 3780, Altos do Paraíso, Botucatu 18610-307, SP, Brazil
Zhenli He
Indian River Research and Education Center, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Fort Pierce, FL 34945-3138, USA
Arun Dilipkumar Jani
USDA-NRCS Ecological Sciences Division, Portland, OR 97232, USA
Gian Franco Capra
Dipartimento di Architettura, Design e Urbanistica, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Polo Bionaturalistico, Via Piandanna n◦ 4, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Antonio Ganga
Dipartimento di Architettura, Design e Urbanistica, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Polo Bionaturalistico, Via Piandanna n◦ 4, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Thiago Assis Rodrigues Nogueira
Department of Plant Protection, Rural Engineering, and Soils, São Paulo State University, Av. Brazil Sul n◦ 56, Ilha Solteira 15.385-000, SP, Brazil
Naturally infertile soils require large amounts of mineral fertilizers to obtain the desired crop yield. In the Cerrado region of Brazil, there is a need to investigate the potential of organic fertilizers to sustainably increase crop productivity and food security. A field study was conducted over two experimental seasons to evaluate the agronomic effectiveness of composted sewage sludge (CSS) as a fertilizer for soybean cultivation in infertile tropical soils. A 4 × 2 + 2 factorial randomized complete block design was applied with the following treatments: (i) CSS: 5.0, 7.5, 10.0, and 12.5 Mg ha−1 on a wet basis applied according to two different methods: whole area (WA) or between rows (BR); (ii) comparison with two alternative treatments: a control with no CSS and mineral fertilizer application, and an area treated with conventional fertilizers only. All the treatments were compared in terms of micronutrient concentrations in surface soil and plant leaves, plant development, crop productivity, and yield. Bi- (ANOVA, correlation matrix, and polynomial regression analysis) and multivariate (PCA, principal factor analysis) statistics were applied to determine statistical differences and relationships/observed variability among the treatments. Results showed that at higher CSS-WA rates: (i) soil and leaf micronutrient concentrations increased; (ii) there was an increase in soybean yield by 12 and 20%, respectively, as compared to control and conventional fertilization; (iii) soybean yield was 67% higher than the mean soybean yields for Brazil. Research outcomes confirm the benefits of CSS application on infertile agricultural soils in the Cerrado region, representing a strong alternative source of micronutrients in the CSS with respect to conventional fertilizers.
