Carlos Antonio dos Santos

Cultivo agroecológico de berinjeleira sob doses de adubação orgânica em coberturas vivas perenes

Agroecological cultivation of eggplant under different doses of organic fertilization using perennial species as cover crops Agronomic performance of eggplant was evaluated under organic management, comparing perennial grass and legume species as cover crops. The trial was carried out in Seropedica, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, using a randomized block design with a split plot arrangement and three replications. The evaluated treatments in the plots were forage peanut (Arachis pintoi) as cover crop, Bahia grass (Paspalum notatum) as cover crop, and conventional soil tillage (control). Split plot treatments were represented by increasing dosages of poultry litter, corresponding to 120, 240, 480, and 720 g plant -1 , which were partitioned through the eggplant cycle. The viability of forage peanut used as living mulch for eggplants was evidenced by the fact that its results did not differ statistically from conventional soil tillage for yield, number of fruits per hectare and average fruit weight of eggplant. The only exception is related to the use of forage peanut associated to the greatest dosis of organic fertilizer (720 g plant -1 ),