Microrganismos eficientes como biofertilizante na cultura da alface

Abstract

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) is a crop that has great relevance for Brazilians and this reflects its significant economic importance. It is the most important leafy vegetable in the world, being generally consumed fresh in the form of salads. However, lettuce is one of the vegetable species most affected by the massive use of pesticides, presenting about 54.2% of pesticide residues. Current agricultural production methods require an emphasis on processes that are less harmful to the environment, farmers and other human beings. In this way, some alternatives have been sought to produce food respecting the environment and society. Some examples are agroecological and organic systems whose philosophy is not to use soluble chemical fertilizers. Thus, in the search for less aggressive inputs to the environment, the use of biofertilizers is a promising alternative. An example is the biofertilizer based on efficient microorganisms, which has numerous organisms in its composition, which when added to the soil increase microbiological biodiversity, inducing the decomposition of organic matter and releasing nutrients necessary for optimal plant development. These microorganisms can be aerobic and anaerobic, promote nutrient cycling, improve the structural quality of soils and increase plant health. In this context, the objective of this work was to evaluate the use of efficient microorganisms as a biofertilizer in lettuce cultivation. The work was carried out on a rural property in the municipality of Itapejara D’ Oeste, southwest of the state of Paraná. The experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design, with 4 treatments, consisting of different doses of efficient microorganisms, as follows: 0, 75, 100 and 125 𝑚𝑙.𝑝𝑜𝑡−1, applied via foliar, with four replications, totaling sixteen experimental units. Data were submitted to ANOVA followed by regression. There was a significant linear effect for the variables MF, NF and AP under doses of ME. There was no significant effect for the DC variable. The use of efficient microorganisms as biofertilizers in foliar applications in the lettuce culture favored a better development of the culture, with satisfactory increments in the vegetal characteristics of the plants.