Soybean fertilization with filter cake and its effects on soil chemical attributes

Abstract

Correct waste disposal from the agro-industrial sector represents one of the premises for sustainable agriculture. This work aimed to analyze the use of sugarcane filter cake in soybean fertilization and its effects on soil chemical attributes. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design with 6 treatments and 4 replications: T1 - Control; T2 - Mineral fertilization (300 kg ha-1 of the formulated 00-30-10); and the following percentages of the recommended dose of filter cake: T3 - 50% (17 ton ha-1), T4 - 100% (34 ton ha-1), T5 - 150% (51 ton ha-1), and T6 - 200% (68 ton ha-1). The soil chemical attributes were evaluated, and soybean was assessed for germination, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, plant height, height of the first pod insertion, and yield. The treatments promoted no differences in soybean germination or height of the first pod insertion, while the use of filter cake positively influenced plant height. Moreover, no differences among treatments were found for pods per plant, seeds per pod, thousand-seed weight, and yield. Therefore, using organic filter cake residue in soybean cultivation is feasible, representing an alternative to chemical fertilization for soybean cultivation.