TITLE:
Impacts of Residual Phosphorus on the Production of Cowpea in the Cerrado Region
AUTHORS:
Jair da Costa Gaspar, Marileia Barros Furtado, Welder José dos Santos Silva, Isaías dos Santos Reis, Nítalo André Farias Machado, Maryzélia Furtado de Farias, Jomar Livramento Barros Furtado, Hosana Aguiar Freitas de Andrade, Raquel da Silva Sobral, Luisa Julieth Parra-Serrano, Khalil de Menezes Rodrigues, Raissa Rachel Salustriano Silva-Matos
KEYWORDS:
Fertilizing, Vigna unguiculata L. Walp, Phosphate Fertilization, Residue
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.9 No.4,
March
13,
2018
ABSTRACT: Phosphate fertilizers when applied to the soil,
besides being harvested by the crops, promote a residual effect that can be
offered to subsequent crops. The objective of this research was to evaluate the
residual effect of phosphate fertilization applied to maize cultivation on the
successor crop, cowpea, in the Cerrado region in Maranhao. The research was
carried out in the experimental area of Federal University of Maranhao (UFMA),
located in the city of Chapadinha, MA (3°44'30"S, 43°21'37''W).
The experimental design was in randomized blocks, with six treatments and four
replications. The treatments were composed of the following residual P doses:
0, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 kg·ha-1 of P2O5. The
cultivation of cowpea (cultivar BRS guariba) was sown at a spacing of 1.0 × 0.20 m. The cowpea proved to be efficient in
the use of residual phosphate fertilization, since it promoted grain yield close
to the national average. The cultivation of cowpea in previously cultivated
areas is feasible, in order to take advantage of the residual phosphate
fertilization in the Cerrado of East of Maranhao. The phosphorus dose applied
in the predecessor crop corresponding to 80 kg·ha-1 of P2O5 promoted higher grain yield (393.44 Mg·ha-1) and a greater profit
margin (US $326.26). Thus, it is feasible to grow cowpea in previously
cultivated areas, in order to take advantage of residual phosphate
fertilization.