"AGRONOMIC ASPECTS OF THE AÇAÍ TREE AS A FUNCTION OF ORGANIC FERTILIZATION"
Euterpe oleracea Mart; Growth; Composting; Mineral Nutrition; Corrective Practice.
The açaizeiro (Euterpe oleracea Mart) is an Amazonian palm tree with a high profile due to its rich characteristics such as its antioxidant capacity and the production of fruit used as food by the Amazonian population. Organic fertilization improves soil fertility, growth and the mineral nutrition of agricultural crops. There is a great demand for organic products in the state of Pará, especially in agricultural production, so it is necessary to analyze the effects of using these inputs to fertilize the production of fruit. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of doses of compost associated with dolomitic limestone on the biometry, nutritional and physiological state of açaizeiro plants in organic farming, contributing to sustainability in the Amazon. The experiment was conducted in the municipality of Santo Antônio do Tauá/PA (1°9′7″ S, 48°7′44″W), in the community of Campo Limpo (1°2′S, 48°10′W). The experimental design used was randomized blocks in a 7x2 factorial scheme, with factor 1 being the six doses of organic compost (2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 kg) and factor 2, the conditions of absence and presence of liming. The control treatment consisted only of chemical fertilization. There was therefore a total of fourteen treatments distributed over six replications, resulting in 84 experimental units, in which each experimental plot had two BRS PAIDÉGUA açaizeiro plants. Dolomitic limestone (PRNT 98.45 %) was used, and the organic compost came from the composting process of the following waste: poultry litter, agro-industrial waste from crops such as andiroba (Carapa guianensis Aubl.), boiler ash, cupuaçu (Theobroma grandiflorum), murumuru (Astrocaryum murumuru) and priprioca (Cyperus articulatus L.). Biometric, nutritional and physiological variables were assessed. The data was subjected to the necessary assumptions, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and test of means. In general, the organic compost provided the best results when the 8 and 10 kg doses were combined with liming, i.e. the organic nutritional management provided important effects on the biometric, nutritional and physiological variables. Therefore, this research showed that the reuse of agro-industrial waste, in the form of organic compost, together with the use of corrective practices (liming) favored the growth, nutrition and physiology of the açaizeiro, contributing to a low-cost and sustainable production alternative for the açaizeiro in the Amazon.