Morphological and productive characteristics of the dwarf pigeonpea cultivated in compacted soil

Abstract

Inadequate management along with the indiscriminate use of agricultural machinery alter the soil natural density, causing reduction in the physical quality and, as a result, implies negative effects onto the development of plantations. Thus, this paper aimed to evaluate the influence of soil compaction in the morphological and productive characteristics of the dwarf pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L. Mill sp.) cv. IAPAR 43 Aratã. The experiment was carried out in the greenhouse at Mato Grosso Federal University (UFMT) - Rondonópolis University Campus. Dark Oxisol collected in 0-20 cm depth was used. The treatments followed five levels of soil compaction (soil density 1.0; 1.2; 1.4; 1.6 and 1.8 Mg m-3) and six repetitions under completely randomized experimental design. The evaluations were carried out between 33 to 63 days after the emergence of the plants, when the amount of branches, amount of leaves, plant height, diameter of the stem, dry mass of leaves, culms, plant canopy and root were determined. The morphological and productive characteristics of the dwarf pigeonpea showed restrictions regarding the soil compaction levels where it was little effective in the Oxisol descompaction.