Soybean crop fertilization with crambe cake

Organic fertilizer based in crambe cake can improve plant growth and nutritional absorption, this present work contains some useful findings on soybean fertilization with crambe cake in camparision with mineral fertilization. Crambe cake is a by-product of vegetable oil production. Because its high nutrient content, it use as an organic fertilizer, what would reduce environmental contamination caused by improper disposal and turn this residue into a valuable agricultural input. Therefore, the objective of this work was to evaluate soybean fertilization with crambe cake in comparison with mineral fertilization. The experiment was carried out at the Rural Development Institute of Paraná in Brazil. Doses of 0, 2, 4, and 8 t ha-1 of crambe cake applied by topdressing and an additional treatment with mineral fertilization were evaluated. The adopted design was randomized blocks with four replications. The following variables were analyzed: yield, plant height, one thousand seed weight, lodging, and soil and foliar nutrient status. Obtained data were subjected to analyses of variance, regression analysis and means were compared using the Tukey test at 5 % probability; in addition, comparisons with the additional treatment were made by contrast analysis. High doses of crambe cake resulted in taller plants, higher lodging index, and higher one thousand seeds weight. No statistical differences in yield and nutrient levels in the soil and leaves were observed in response to treatments. In conclusion, costly chemical fertilization in soybean production can be replaced by crambe cake.