Nutritional management of cotton culture in Cerrado's soils from Mato Grosso

Abstract

The cotton crop dating to 8,000 BC began with the Arabs who rudely spin and weave cotton fiber. Through the commercial deepening between Europe and the East the cotton culture gained its space in the European continent, in the middle of the seventeenth century predominated wool and over the years reached the other continents. In Brazil since the time of colonization, cotton cultivation is exploited for commercial purposes. The state of Mato Grosso leads the national production of cotton, since the economy of the same and of Brazil depend on this segment of the agribusiness that represents 15% of the national economy. In order for the cotton to reach high yields, it is necessary to have adequate nutritional management together with good practices of soil correction, since the crop is very demanding in relation to these two factors. However, it presents a certain singularity that stands out in the world scenario, because it is a fibrous and oleaginous culture, in other words, that originates products and by-products through its raw material, allowing an attractive differential that serves as an increase in income for producers who carry out this activity. In the cerrado, its cultivation serves as a viable alternative to promote the practice of rotating crops in previously cultivated areas with soybeans and corn, providing improvements in the biological quality of the soil, diversifying cropping systems making them more sustainable both by adding value to the product regarding the management of cotton. The crop is quite responsive to the fertilization and the conditions that the Cerrado provides for it, and it needs nutritional sources in several stages of its development. The objective of this study was to discuss the type of nutritional management that is used in the cotton crop under Cerrado conditions.