COMPOSITION OF GREEN COCONUT FIBER AND EFFECTS ON SOIL CHEMICAL AND MICROBIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Cocos nucifera, biodegradation, solid waste
The consumption of coconut water has grown significantly in recent years and, consequently, there is a greater demand for the production of the fruit still green. The extraction of coconut water generates an environmental liability that is the residue of the fruits (peels), representing about 80% of the fruit's weight. This residue is fibrous, with a high Carbon / Nitrogen (C / N) ratio and a high amount of cellulose and lignin in its composition, which makes its decomposition in the environment extremely slow. Thus, the use of composting is of great importance, as it is a process widely used in the management of solid waste. The use of composting has as main objective the production of compounds with a C / N ratio below 33, a value considered safe for use in agricultural crops. However, several factors influence this process, mainly the availability of microorganisms and nutrients. Thus, the enrichment of organic material with inoculants (IN) can make the composting process more efficient, as it introduces microorganisms that can accelerate the degradation of materials such as crushed green coconut shells - CCT). In this sense, the objective of the present work was to evaluate different composting formulations in the decomposition of crushed green coconut shell, as well as the effects of the application of green coconut based compost on the chemical and biological characteristics of the soil in coconut plantations. To this end, two experiments were conducted in field conditions at Fazenda Reunidas Sococo®, in the municipality of Santa Izabel do Pará - PA. Experiment 1 was carried out in random blocks in a 5 x 6 factorial scheme with 4 replications. The first factor consisted of different composting formulations (CCT, CCT + chicken litter (CF) at 3%, CCT + IN, CCT + CF at 3% + IN, CCT + CF at 5%). The second factor consisted of different composting periods (0, 14, 28, 42, 50 and 61 days). Analyzes were made of the nutritional composition of the compound (Macro and micronutrients, moisture content, organic matter, ash, organic carbon and C / N). Experiment 2 was conducted in randomized blocks with four replications. The treatments consisted of soil collection from areas that received CCT, CCT + CF 3%, CCT + IN, CCT + CF 3% + IN, CCT + CF 5%, commercial area without application of compost and area of forest. For this test, basal soil respiration (RBS), carbon from microbial biomass (CBM) and enzymatic activity of acid phosphatase and urease will be evaluated. The results indicated that there was an interaction between the formulation factors and composting period for the variable C / N, with a lower C / N ratio being observed for the formulation with 5% FC at 42 days of composting.