Agronomic Traits of Corn Fertilized with Sewage Sludge

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Agronomic Traits of Corn Fertilized with
Sewage Sludge
a
a
Fernando Giovannetti de Macedo , Wanderley José de Melo ,
a
a
Luciana Cristina Souza Merlino , Marina Hernandez Ribeiro ,
b
Marcos Antonio Camacho & Gabriel Maurício Peruca de Melo
c
a
Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Universidade
Estadual Paulista, Jaboticabal, Brazil
b
Universidade Camilo Castelo Branco, Descalvado, Brazil
c
Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul, Aquidauana, Brazil
Accepted author version posted online: 20 Jun 2012. Version of
record first published: 27 Jun 2012
To cite this article: Fernando Giovannetti de Macedo, Wanderley José de Melo, Luciana Cristina
Souza Merlino, Marina Hernandez Ribeiro, Marcos Antonio Camacho & Gabriel Maurício Peruca de Melo
(2012): Agronomic Traits of Corn Fertilized with Sewage Sludge, Communications in Soil Science and
Plant Analysis, 43:13, 1790-1799
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Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis, 43:1790–1799, 2012
Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
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DOI: 10.1080/00103624.2012.684987
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Agronomic Traits of Corn Fertilized
with Sewage Sludge
FERNANDO GIOVANNETTI DE MACEDO,1
WANDERLEY JOSÉ DE MELO,1 LUCIANA CRISTINA
SOUZA MERLINO,1 MARINA HERNANDEZ RIBEIRO,1
MARCOS ANTONIO CAMACHO,2
AND GABRIEL MAURÍCIO PERUCA DE MELO3
1
Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Universidade Estadual Paulista,
Jaboticabal, Brazil
2
Universidade Camilo Castelo Branco, Descalvado, Brazil
3
Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul, Aquidauana, Brazil
Although research on the environmental impacts of using waste as a fertilizer is of great
importance, the basic principle for using a product as fertilizer is that it should provide
nutrients for plants without causing any harm to them. The objective of this study was
to evaluate the agronomic traits (number of nodes, plant height, leaf number, yield, and
protein content of grains) and the nutritional status of corn treated with sewage sludge.
The experiment was conducted in the municipality of Jaboticabal in a Red Latosol.
A randomized block design with four treatments (0, 55, 110, and 167.5 Mg ha−1 of
sewage sludge) and five repetitions was used. At 30 days after emergence (DAE), the
dose of 110 Mg ha−1 dry weight presented greater values for plant height, leaf number and stem diameter. At 60 DAE, the treatments did not affect the agronomic traits.
No influence from the treatments tested was observed for protein content of grains
and yield. The dose of 167.5 Mg ha−1 showed greater weight of 100 seeds. All treatments showed nutritional imbalances. This study confirmed the agricultural potential
of sewage sludge as a source of nutrients.
Keywords
Corn, sewage sludge, urban sludge
Introduction
In modern agriculture, large quantities of chemicals are distributed over the soil surface in
the form of mineral fertilizers and organic, insecticides and herbicides, and even diverse
residues (Costa et al. 1999).
When sewage sludge for agricultural purposes is concerned, the first thing that comes
to mind is the risk of environmental contamination, either by heavy metals, leaching of
nitrate, presence of pathogens, or others. Although research on the environmental impacts
of their use are of great importance, the basic principle for using a product as fertilizer is
that it should provide nutrients for plants without causing any harm to them.
Received 30 August 2010; accepted 29 November 2011.
Address correspondence to Fernando Giovannetti de Macedo, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e
Veterinárias, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Via de acesso Professor Paulo Donato Castellane, km 5.
CEP 14870-000. Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil. E-mail: [email protected]
1790
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Agronomic Traits of Corn
1791
Sewage sludge has shown to be a potential input of organic source for crops, as it has
important characteristics for the soil physical, chemical, and biological properties. This
residue provides elements such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), calcium (Ca), magnesium
(Mg), and sulfur (S) and micronutrients varying in concentration according to the source
and treatment method (Melo et al. 1994).
However, in general, it appears that sewage sludge is presented as unbalanced in relation to the concentration of nutrients. Thus, it could be harmful to crops, either by excess
or shortage of some nutrients that could be toxic in the first case and insufficient in the
second, but both limiting to production.
The efficiency of plants to obtain sufficient quantities of a nutrient for full development
not only depends on the concentration of this element in the available form but also on certain environmental and physiological factors of the plant, which may affect its absorption.
Among environmental factors, the element type and its concentration in relation to others,
along with the presence of other elements, are worth mentioning (Carmelo 1989).
If the contents of an element are changed by imbalanced fertilization, problems such as
deficiency may occur (Malavolta 1980). Thus, imbalances between its concentrations cause
reciprocal influences in the availability, absorption, and translocation in plants (Fernandes
and Carvalho 2001).
In general, excesses or deficiencies are visually identified only in extreme cases
where human intervention no longer recovers such losses. During the crop development,
agronomic parameters considered simple could be measured to identify suspected growth
disorders. However, in most cases, nutrient imbalances are checked only at the end of the
crop cycle with the productivity evaluation.
Another relevant factor is to determine the nutrient concentration in the plant to assess
the nutritional status of the culture.
This study aimed to evaluate agronomic traits (number of nodes, plant height, leaf
number, yield, and protein content of grains), as well as the nutritional status of corn treated
with sewage sludge.
Materials and Methods
The experiment began in November 1997 and has been conducted at the experimental
field of the Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences, UNESP, Jaboticabal, Brazil,
located at an altitude of 610 m with the following geographic coordinates: 21◦ 15 22 S
and 48◦ 15 18 W. The climate is Aw, according to the Köppen classification.
The area has a clayey-textured red kaolinitic A moderate latosol LVef (EMBRAPA
2006), whose chemical properties (0–0.2 m deep) before the 11th year of the experiment
are shown in Table 1.
A randomized block design (RBD) with four treatments and five replications was used.
The initial treatments were control (without fertilization), 2.5, 5, and 10 Mg ha−1 of sewage
sludge (dry basis). From the second year on, the control treatment was fertilized according
to the soil fertility analysis and information contained in the report of Raij and Cantarella
(1997). From the fourth year on, based on results obtained so far and in an attempt to
cause phytotoxicity, it was decided to change the dose from 2.5 to 20 Mg ha−1 so that the
cumulative doses in year 11 were 0, 55, 110, and 167.5 Mg ha−1 of sewage sludge on a dry
basis (Table 2). It was assumed that one third of the N contained in the residue would be
available to plants. For doses of sewage sludge in which one third of the N present would
not meet the corn crop requirements, a mineral source (ammonium sulfate) was applied in
coverage.
1792
F. G. de Macedo et al.
Table 1
Chemical characterization of LVef (0–0.2 m) prior to the experiment in the 11th growing
season (2007/2008)
OM Presin
K
Ca
Mg H + Al SB
T
Treatments
(g
(SS Mg
(mg (mmolc (mmolc (mmolc (mmolc (mmolc (mmolc V
pH
ha−1 )
(CaCl2 ) dm−3 ) dm−3 ) dm−3 ) dm−3 ) dm−3 ) dm−3 ) dm−3 ) dm−3 ) (%)
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0
55
110
167.5
5.0
5.1
5.2
4.7
27
27
30
31
49
50
87
107
4.5
2.8
3.0
1.8
27
33
40
33
6
8
9
7
38
34
34
58
37.5
43.8
52.0
41.8
75.5
77.8
86.0
99.8
50
56
60
42
Note. SS, sewage sludge.
Table 2
Treatments during the 11 years of the experiment
Sewage sludge
(Mg ha−1 ) dry weight
Year
1997/98
1998/99
1999/00
2000/01
2001/02
2002/03
2003/04
2004/05
2005/06
2006/07
2007/08
T1
T2
T3
T4
Without fertilization
Mineral fertilization
Mineral fertilization
Mineral fertilization
Mineral fertilization
Mineral fertilization
Mineral fertilization
Mineral fertilization
Mineral fertilization
Mineral fertilization
Mineral fertilization
2.5
2.5
2.5
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
Corn was the crop used until the sixth to ninth growing seasons. On the seventh and
eighth years, sunflower and crotalaria were used, respectively, for crop rotation because the
corn crop productivity has decreased over time in all treatments.
The sewage sludge used in the experiment was obtained from the Wastewater
Treatment Plant (WTP) located in Franca, Brazil. For the chemical characterization of
the sewage sludge (Table 3), six single samples were collected at different points in the
residue mass, which were mixed and combined in a composite sample.
The residue was thrown to the respective plots in the total area, evenly distributed in
the respective doses of each treatment with the moisture content reaching the WTP (around
73%), and incorporated by means of light harrow (about 10 cm deep).
The plots of the control treatment were grooved at distances of 0.90 m and mineral
fertilizers nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK) were immediately applied adjacent
to and below the sowing furrow, using 30 kg of N, 50 kg of P2 O5 , and 50 kg of K2 O per
hectare, using the following as source of these nutrients: urea (45% N), simple superphosphate (18% P2 O5 ), and potassium chloride (60% K2 O). Only K was applied in plots treated
Agronomic Traits of Corn
1793
Table 3
Chemical characterization of sewage
sludge used in the 11th year of
experimentation
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Element
N (g kg−1 )
P (g kg−1 )
K (g kg−1 )
Ca (g kg−1 )
Mg (g kg−1 )
S (g kg−1 )
Cu (mg kg−1 )
Fe (mg kg−1 )
Mn (mg kg−1 )
Zn (mg kg−1 )
B (mg kg−1 )
Mo (mg kg−1 )
Cr (mg kg−1 )
Cd (mg kg−1 )
Ni (mg kg−1 )
Pb (mg kg−1 )
Ba (mg kg−1 )
Co (mg kg−1 )
Value
33.42
38.23
1.50
25.20
3.52
5.28
572.55
184100.00
726.99
1028.30
71.65
2.77
284.46
3.27
56.63
77.28
306.55
29.04
with sewage sludge, applying 41, 32, and 14 kg ha−1 K2 O in plots that received doses of 5,
10, and 20 Mg ha−1 of sewage sludge, respectively.
The crop was then sown and when the seedlings were about 0.2 m in height, thinning
was carried out, leaving 5 to 7 plants per linear meter.
Two coverage fertilizations were performed, one at 28 and another at 49 days after
emergence (DAE). The first cover received, per hectare, 80 kg of N and 40 kg of K2 O
in the control and 5 Mg ha−1 treatments, 70 kg of N, and 40 kg of K2 O in the treatment
10 Mg ha−1 and 40 kg K2 O in treatment 20 Mg ha−1 . The second cover received, per
hectare, 60 and 40 kg of N in the control treatment and 5 Mg ha−1 , respectively, using
ammonium sulfate and potassium chloride as source of N and K, respectively. All values
related to fertilization are in accordance with recommendations contained in the report of
Raij and Cantarella (1997) for corn.
At 30 and 60 DAE, the number of nodes, leaves, stem diameter, and plant height were
evaluated. For this, five plants from four central rows from each repetition were randomly
selected. For the stem diameter, calipers were used, and the stem (stalk) was measured at
0.15 m above the ground. For plant height, the vertical distance between the ground and
the insert of the last leaf on the stem was considered.
Also at 60 DAE, leaves for diagnosis were collected (Malavolta, Vitti, and Oliveira
1997) to assess the nutritional status (macronutrients and micronutrients) of plants according to the method used by Malavolta, Vitti, and Oliveira (1997). The leaves were washed as
follows: running water, water + detergent solution (1 mL L−1 ), distilled water, and deionized water. After washing, the leaves were placed in paper bags and placed to dry with
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F. G. de Macedo et al.
forced-air circulation maintained at 60–70 ◦ C until obtaining a constant weight. After drying, the material was ground in a Willey-type mill equipped with a 40-mesh sieve, packed
in polyethylene bags, properly identified, and stored in a dry chamber until the time of
analysis.
In leaf diagnosis, the Kjeldahl-N content was determined according to method
described in Melo (1974), which consists in oxidizing organic-N to ammonia-N by sulfuric acid in the presence of catalyzers and temperatures raisers. The ammonia-N produced
was determined by steam distillation. Phosphorus, K, Ca, Mg, and S were determined in
the extract obtained by digestion of samples with nitric acid (HNO3 ) + hydrogen peroxide
(H2 O2 ) + hydrochloric acid (HCl) submitted to a temperature of 100 ◦ C as described by
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA 1996). Phosphorus was determined
by colorimetric method (Malavolta, Vitti, and Oliveira 1997), Ca and Mg were determined
by atomic absorption spectrometry with air-acetylene flame, K was measured by flame
photometry (Sarruge and Haag, 1974), and S was found by turbidimetry (Vitti 1989).
Micronutrients Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry with air-acetylene flame in the extract obtained by the method described in USEPA
(1996). Molybdenum was determined by colorimetry and B with azomethine-H, also by
colorimetry [both described in Tedesco et al. (1995)].
For the crude protein contents in grain, the total-N contents were multiplied by 6.25 as
suggested by Villegas, Ortega, and Bauer (1985).
A sampling of ears (for determining the productivity) occurred at 128 DAE, collecting
the ears from plants located at three linear meters from the central line of each plot. The
grain productivity was expressed as mass, with moisture content adjusted to 13%. The
weight of 100 seeds was obtained by the average of five samples randomly collected from
each treatment.
The results were submitted to analysis of variance. In cases where the F test was
significant at 1% or 5% of probability, regression analysis was applied using the ASSISTAT
statistical program (Silva and Azevedo 2002).
Results and Discussion
For plant height, leaf number, and stem diameter at 30 DAE, the treatment that received
110 Mg ha−1 of sewage sludge presented the greatest values (Table 4); that is, this was the
treatment that provided the greatest plant development in the period mentioned.
A major concern when using organic fertilizers is about the availability of nutrients
in a timely manner to meet the crop requirements. In this sense, and for the parameters
evaluated, the sewage sludge proved to be a better choice when compared to the control
treatment in all doses applied.
Although in this period, the amount of nutrients demanded by the crop was small, for
example, less than 0.5 kg ha−1 day−1 of N (Schröder et al. 2000), which was the nutrient
most absorbed by corn plants, and the reproductive period was still distant, nutritional deficiencies during this period directly affect the production quantity and quality (Schreiber,
Stanberry, and Tucker 1988).
As observed in Table 5, the agronomic traits evaluated at 30 DAE consistently showed
a quadratic regression with the lowest values for control, increasing at dose of 50 Mg ha−1
up to dose of 110 Mg ha−1 , which was the peak, and then decreasing once again at the
greatest sewage sludge dose applied.
At 60 DAE, the treatments did not affect the agronomic traits evaluated. This effect
was expected because if no severe nutrient restrictions are observed, there was a tendency
Agronomic Traits of Corn
1795
Table 4
Agronomic traits (plant height, stem diameter, leaf number, productivity, protein content
of grains, and weight of 100 seeds) of corn plants submitted to different doses of
sewage sludge
doses of sewage sludge (Mg ha−1 )
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Agronomic traits
Plant height (m) 30 DAE
Stem diameter (m) 30 DAE
Leaf number 30 DAE
Plant height (m) 60 DAE
Stem diameter (m) 60 DAE
Leaf number 60 DAE
Productivity (Mg ha−1 )
Protein content of grains (g kg−1 )
Weight of 100 seeds (g)
0.0
55.0
110.0
167.5
0.4036
0.0102
7.44
2.02
0.0316
14.4
11.85
91.21
24.98
0.4872
0.0144
7.84
2.08
0.0297
14.8
13.35
96.84
26.93
0.4956
0.0142
8.08
2.06
0.0298
15.2
10.97
91.55
26.73
0.4784
0.0138
7.96
2.00
0.0302
14.8
12.01
99.46
27.42
Note. DAE, days after emergence.
Table 5
Regression equations expressing the effect of doses of sewage sludge on agronomic traits
(plant height, stem diameter, leaf number, productivity, protein content of grains, and
weight of 100 seeds) of corn plants
Agronomic traits
Plant height (m) 30 DAE
Stem diameter (m) 30 DAE
Leaf number 30 DAE
Plant height (m) 60 DAE
Stem diameter (m) 60 DAE
Leaf number 60 DAE
Productivity
Protein content of grains
Weight of 100 seeds (g)
Regression equation
VC (%)
Determination
coefficient R2
y = −0.000008x2 + 0.0018x
+ 0.4063
y = −0.00004x2 + 0.0081x
+ 1.0415
y = −0.00004x2 + 0.0103x
+ 7.4303
—
—
—
—
—
y = 0.0127x + 25.457
6.80
0.97∗∗
8.59
0.92∗∗
3.23
0.99∗
8.80
7.32
6.67
14.67
7.68
5.96
ns
ns
ns
ns
ns
0.74∗
Note. VC, variation coefficient; ns, not significant.
∗∗
Significant at 1% of probability.
∗
Significant at 5% probability.
for visual uniformity between treatment plants along the cycle. However, for the weight of
100 seeds (Tables 4 and 5), there was an increasing linear regression from the control up to
the treatment using the greatest dose of sewage sludge, indicating that for this parameter,
the residue has been always more effective than chemical fertilization.
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F. G. de Macedo et al.
According to Carvalho and Nakagawa (2000), larger seeds or those with greater density within the same species are potentially more robust than smaller and less dense ones,
resulting in more developed seedlings. Therefore, for the purpose of seed production, the
greatest dose of sewage sludge applied was the most recommended. The treatments did not
influence productivity and protein content of grains, which had means of 12.05 Mg ha−1
and 93.98 g kg−1 , respectively.
Although the application of sewage sludge did not result in increases in productivity, it was worth recalling that all treatments that received sewage sludge also received
mineral fertilizer (K and N). Literature shows that in some cases when using a composition of mineral and organic fertilizers, this can provide a greater demand for fertilizer to
achieve maximum productivity, as found by Ferreira et al. (2006), and even decreases in
productivity as obtained by Oliveira et al. (2000). In this sense, the fact of sewage sludge
provides productivity similar to mineral fertilizer is advantageous, because works as those
of Dou, Alva, and Khakural (1997) indicate that this residue has greater economic returns
in relation to chemical fertilizers.
As for the nutritional status assessment, all treatments showed imbalances (Tables 6
and 7). The N and P concentrations, major nutrients supplied by sewage sludge, were above
the critical level (Malavolta, Vitti, and Oliveira 1997); however, the control treatment that
has been fertilized according to the most widely used recommendations also had its leaf
N and P concentrations above recommended levels, indicating that the chemical fertilizer
used exceeds the corn crop requirements.
From the six macronutrients assessed, only K was within the ideal limits in all treatments, but its source in the experiment was almost all the chemical fertilizer, because the
sewage sludge used had only 1.5 g kg−1 of K, making necessary the use of potassium
chloride to supply the deficiency.
Calcium showed a linear and growing concentration from the control and, like N,
it remained always above the critical level. Sulfur was the only macronutrient that had
levels below the target level in all treatments. Although sewage sludge does not present
large amounts of S, the control treatment was fertilized with simple superphosphate and
ammonium sulfate, in sufficient amounts to meet the corn crop requirements, and still
presented deficiency. The explanation of this effect may be the excess of N, because there
Table 6
Foliar contents of macronutrients in leaves diagnosis of corn plants treated with
sewage sludge
Treatments
(Mg ha−1
SS)
N (g kg−1 ) P (g kg−1 ) K (g kg−1 ) Ca (g kg−1 ) Mg (g kg−1 ) S (g kg−1 )
0
55
110
167.5
Ideala
35.8
36.3
37
38
27.5–32.5
3.8
3.7
4.3
4.2
2.5–3.5
Note. SS, sewage sludge, dry basis.
a
Malavolta et al. (1997).
21.9
17.9
21.4
20.4
17.5–22.5
4.8
5.1
5.3
5.6
2.4–4.0
2.4
2.6
2.5
2.7
2.5–4.0
0.9
0.6
0.9
0.6
1.5–2.0
Agronomic Traits of Corn
1797
Table 7
Regression equations expressing the effect of doses of sewage sludge on the concentration
of nutrients in corn leaves diagnosis treated with sewage sludge
Regression equation
VC (%)
Determination
coefficient R2
—
y = −0.000006x3 + 0.0003x2 − 0.0164x + 3.8
y = −0.00005x3 + 0.0032x2 − 0.2117x + 21.9
y = 0.0049x + 4.8
—
y = −0.000006x3 + 0.0003x2 − 0.0169x
+ 0.908
y = 0.0673x + 126.95
y = 0.0005x2 − 0.0241x + 11.315
y = 0.00003x3 − 0.0087x2 + 0.6152x + 52.011
y = 0.0004x2 − 0.0603x + 26.52
y = −0,0000008x2 − 0.0009x + 11.046
y = −0.000006x + 0.0352
2.74
5.79
10.93
8.63
17.37
17.40
ns
0.99∗
0.99∗
0.94∗∗
ns
0.99∗∗
6.07
16.48
5.29
4.15
4.16
20.18
0.87∗
0.99∗∗
0.99∗∗
0.98∗∗
0.71∗
0.99∗
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Nutrient
N
P
K
Ca
Mg
S
Fe
Zn
B
Mn
Cu
Mo
Note. VC, variation coefficient; ns, not significant.
∗∗
Significant at 1% of probability.
∗
Significant at 5% of probability.
Table 8
Foliar contents of micronutrient in leaves diagnosis of corn plants treated with
sewage sludge
Treatments
(Mg ha−1
SS)
Fe (mg
kg−1 )
Zn (mg
kg−1 )
B (mg
kg−1 )
Mn (mg
kg−1 )
Cu (mg
kg−1 )
Mo (mg
kg−1 )
0
55
110
167.5
Ideala
126.9
130.6
134.3
138.2
50–250
11.3
11.5
14.7
21.2
15–50
52.0
64.6
55.4
56.2
15–20
26.5
24.4
24.6
27.3
50–150
11.0
11.0
10.9
10.9
6–20
0.04
0.04
0.04
0.04
0.15–0.20
Note. SS, sewage sludge, dry basis.
a
Malavolta et al. (1997).
are reports in literature of ionic competition between these elements. A similar effect was
identified by Neves et al. (2005).
In relation to micronutrients (Tables 7 and 8), only iron (Fe) and copper (Cu) were
within the range considered ideal for corn crop, although these may have been supplied
by the original soil, since its mineral composition presents these nutrients in considerable
amounts.
Molybdenum (Mo) and manganese (Mn) were less than the ideal levels, whereas
boron (B) was greater. Zinc (Zn) showed values within the ideal range for corn crop
only in the treatment that received the greatest dose of sewage sludge. After Fe, Zn is
the micronutrient found in the greatest quantity in the sewage sludge applied, with the
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1798
F. G. de Macedo et al.
lowest dose being sufficient to meet the corn crop requirements. For this purpose, a series
of hypotheses can be raised. The main one is related to the organic matter of waste, which
could be complexing this element. Because the P concentration is greater than the ideal
levels, literature shows a series of proposals that relate these two elements for concentration, availability, and absorption. The most widely accepted are for the antagonism between
nutrients with a predominance of P by inhibiting the Zn absorption, the precipitation of elements with the formation of salts, and finally the dilution factor that occurs by increasing
dry-matter content driven by P absorption.
Although the crop productivity has reached considerable values, it appears that with
the occurrence of imbalances in all treatments, the ideal situation would be to correct the
deficiencies via chemical fertilization, and for the balance of excesses, crop rotation should
be adopted using more species demanding these nutrients.
Conclusions
The dose of 110 Mg ha−1 at 30 DAE had greater values for plant height, leaf number, and
stem diameter. At 60 DAE, the treatments did not affect the agronomic traits assessed. For
the protein content of grains and yield, no influence from treatments was observed either.
The dose of 167.5 Mg ha−1 provided greater weight of 100 seeds. All treatments showed
nutritional imbalances. The study confirms the agricultural potential of sewage sludge as a
source of nutrients.
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