Efeito da adubação foliar na produtividade de cana-de-açúcar

Abstract

Sugarcane production plays a significant role in both the national and international markets, as it is the raw material for important commodities. The average productivity is generally low in the country, despite the crop having a high productive potential. Foliar fertilization is a management practice that can contribute to increasing the productivity of sugarcane fields, as it allows for better exploration of the crop's productive potential. This study evaluated the productivity of a commercial sugarcane field after the application of foliar fertilizers containing macronutrients and micronutrients, with the following composition and concentration (g/L): N – 112.5; P2O5 – 44.4; K2O – 41.0; Mg – 0.7; B – 6.5; Co – 0.29; Cu – 5.7; Fe – 3.0; Mn – 4.0; Mo – 3.4; Zn – 18.2. Aerial spraying was performed over the entire area of a sugarcane field in the Ribeirão Preto region, where control areas were selected and covered with tarps to create control plots. A completely randomized design was used for 2 treatments (with and without fertilization), with 8 repetitions, totaling 16 plots in 2 different cropping cycles (plant cane and ratoon cane), resulting in 32 plots in total. The biometrics involved weighing sugarcane stalks from systematically selected areas within each plot, with and without treatment, calculating productivity in tons of stalks per hectare (TCH). The average values obtained were higher in the treated plots, however, statistically these values were not significant, indicating only a trend towards increased productivity.