Hidrogel e retenção de água em dois solos cultivados com feijão-caupi e girassol

Abstract

The use of hydrogel has contributed satisfactorily the growth / development of the plants by promoting efficient storage and slow release of water in the soil. It has been used in order to mitigate the irregularity of water supply to plants, can act in situations where there are periods of long drought with water deficits. In this context, the work was to evaluate different doses of the hydrogel polymer in water retention in soils and its influence on the development of cowpea beans and sunflower. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with three replications, evaluating four polymer doses (0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 g per kg of soil and control, without the polymer) in Latossolo Amarelo Distrocoeso (LA) and Argissolo Vermelho-Amarelo (PVA) cultivated with cowpea and sunflower. The hydrogel powder was mixed with dry soil and placed in pots with a volume of 7 dm3. The foil number variables (NF), stem diameter (DM), plant height (AL), chlorophyll a (CLA) and B (CLB) were evaluated at the end of the 60 day cycle, along with the dry weight of aerial part ( MSPA) and root dry weight (MSR). After harvesting of the plants was sampled soil in pots collecting samples with undeformed and deformed structure used for the construction of the water retention curve and determination of porosity, micro and macro porosity and bulk density. The data were submitted to analysis of variance. The averages related to soils, crops were compared by Tukey test (p <0.05); for hydrogel doses used the regression analysis. The use of hydrogel powder enhanced growth of cowpea bean and sunflower, by increasing the dry weight of shoot and root and stem diameter, resulting in better quality plants with better use of water. hydrogel doses used did not affect the evaluated attributes (total porosity, macro and microporosity, bulk density and water retention tensions 10-1500 kPa. The increased moisture in the soil at voltages below 1 kPa left to understand that the hydrogel slows the process of drying soil after rain or irrigation, thus providing higher moisture to the plants near the saturation voltage.