PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES OF CONILON COFFEE SEEDLINGS (Coffea Canephora Pierre) TREATED WITH DOSES OF SODIUM, CHROME AND CURTUME SLUDGE

Abstract

The tannery sludge is an industrial residue from the process of transforming animal skin into leather, consisting of organic materials mixed with inorganic salts, and some of the components present in its composition are considered essential nutrients for plants, making it a source alternative fertilization due to its favorable agronomic characteristics. However, some studies report that the presence of chromium and sodium can negatively interfere with its use, causing physiological disturbances that hinder the development of cultivated plants. In this sense, the objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of chromium and sodium, present in dehydrated tannery sludge, on physiological parameters of conilon coffee seedlings (Coffea Canephora Pierre), grown on substrates produced with tannery sludge and equivalent doses of sodium and chromium individually and in association. The experiment was carried out in a nursery for the propagation of irrigated conilon coffee seedlings, assembled with a randomized block design (DBC), containing 5 treatments, 7 blocks, with plots consisting of 10 plants. The treatments consisted of a 40% dose of tannery sludge and equivalent doses of chromium and sodium mixed with a conventional substrate. Several of the evaluated characteristics showed significant variations, revealing different behavior patterns in the conilon coffee seedlings, when in the presence of chromium and sodium alone or even together. Notably, the physiological disorders presented are related to the presence of sodium in the substrate, while the presence of chromium has shown to not influence the studied physiological patterns.