Per: Eliane de paula clemente (Embrapa), Guilherme Kangussu Donagemma (Embrapa), Silvio roberto de lucena tavares (embrapa), Natalia fernandes rodrigues (Universidade federal fluminense), Germana de Oliveira Carvalho (Universidade federal fluminense)
Abstract:
The slags treated of the steel industry are becoming an alternative to limestone, once, besides correcting soil acidity, it also promotes Silicon (Si) to the plant, which enables it to enhance its resistance to the abiotic and biotic effects. Literature reports that fertilizers that allow the plant to deepen its roots are capable of providing higher tolerance to drought, this being one of the main problems of agriculture. Therefore, the objective of this work was to analyze if the application of steel industry-slag-based fertilizers, Agrosilício Mg and Agrosilício Plus, can provide higher resistance to hydric stress to the grass Urochloa brizantha cv. Marandu. The research was carried out in an screen-house in the Fluminense Federal University, in Niterói – RJ, following a plan of subdivided plots, with each plot having the silicates, and the subplots having the blades of water analyzed (100%, 80%, 60%, 40% and 20% in Field Capacity – FC); with the outlining conducted in an entirely randomized style, with four repetitions. The utilization of Agrosilício Mg and Agrosilício Plus was capable to promote grass’s tolerance to drought and, aside from that, provided better absorption of Calcium, Magnesium, and Silicon, showing results similar to the limestone.