INFLUENCE OF SODIUM AND CHROME PRESENT IN THE CURTUME SLUDGE ON THE FOLIAR ANATOMY OF COFFEE SEEDLINGS (Coffea Canephora Pierre)

Abstract

The waste generated by the leather industries, known as tannery sludge, potentially presents itself as an alternative fertilizer in agriculture. It consists of organic materials of animal origin mixed with inorganic salts, and some of these components present in its composition are nutrients for plants. However, the presence of chromium and sodium can negatively interfere with its use, causing anatomical disturbances that hinder the development of plants. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of sodium and chromium, present in the dehydrated tannery sludge, on the anatomical structure of conilon coffee seedlings (Coffea Canephora Pierre) developed on substrates containing doses of sodium and chromium alone and together . The experiment was conducted in an irrigated seedling propagation nursery, with a randomized block design (DBC), containing 5 treatments, 7 blocks, each plot consisting of 10 plants. The treatments consisted of a 40% dose of tannery sludge and equivalent doses of chromium and sodium mixed with a substrate considered conventional. Several of the evaluated characteristics showed variations in the statistical analyzes, revealing different behavior patterns in the conilon coffee seedlings, when in the presence of chromium and sodium alone or even together. Notably, the presence of sodium in the substrate caused greater damage to plants compared to the presence of chromium. However, the presence of dehydrated tannery sludge, even containing the same levels of sodium and chromium, revealed a greater negative influence on the parameters studied.