Nutrient input on rocket growth and soil microbial activity in alley cropping of pigeon pea

Authors

  • Márcio Pimentel Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco
  • Adeniyi Togun University of Ibadan
  • Helvécio De-Polli Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro/Embrapa Agrobiologia
  • Janaína Rouws Embrapa Agrobiologia
  • José Guerra Embrapa Agrobiologia

Keywords:

Eruca sativa L, Cajanus cajan L, Cattle manure, CO2 evolution, Green manuring

Abstract

The effects of organic fertilization combining cattle manure and pigeon pea shoots on the culture of rocket, planted with one or two plants per hole, including soil microbial biomass carbon, soil respiration, the metabolic quotient, soil fumigation labile carbon, and the dry matter content and total N, K, P, Ca and Mg contents in the leaves and roots of rocket were investigated. The experimental design was randomized blocks in a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial experiment: 0 and 160 kg ha-1 N from cattle manure, 0 and 160 kg ha-1 N from pigeon pea shoots, and one or two plants per hole, with three replicates. The most significant and positive correlations were obtained between leaf K × soil respiration, microbial biomass × leaf N and root Ca × metabolic quotient. The use of 160 kg  ha-1 N from cattle manure along with 160 kg ha-1 N from pigeon pea shoots with two plants per hole resulted in a lower relative loss of C-CO2; the same result was found for the treatment of two plants per hole fertilized with 160 kg ha-1 N from cattle manure. Increased leaf and root N contents were observed in the treatment that combined two plants in each plot, fertilized with 160 kg ha-1 N from pigeon pea shoots, whereas the highest dry matter content was obtained by using one plant per hole, specifically: combining one plant per hole without fertilization; one plant per hole fertilized with 160 kg ha-1 N from pigeon pea shoots; and one plant per hole fertilized with 160 kg ha-1 N from cattle manure and pigeon pea shoots.

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Published

2011-09-26

Issue

Section

Crop Science