Chemical composition of soybean seeds subjected to fertilization with rock dusts

Abstract

. Rock dusts in association with organic sources have been used in agriculture to improve soil chemical characteristics and food composition. In this context, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of the rock dusts siltstone, tephrite, and olivine melilitite pure or combined and associated or not with cattle manure on the chemical composition of soybean seeds of the cultivar BRS 232 grown on a Cambisol and Nitisol subjected to these treatments and conventional fertilization. For this, an experiment was carried out with pots in a greenhouse using a Cambisol and Nitisol to cultivate the soybean from January to May 2019 until seed production. The seeds were harvested, ground, and sieved through a 1 mm mesh sieve to determine the nutrient, phytate, and crude protein contents. The effects of the rock dusts on the chemical composition of seeds were directly related to the chemical characteristics of the evaluated soils. The tested rock dusts had a more pronounced response in the Cambisol (poorer soil) than in the Nitisol (more fertile). The contents and accumulation of nutrients in the seeds, as well as the total dry matter production in both soils subjected to the treatments with the rock dusts olivine melilitite and siltstone + olivine melilitite, pure and combined with manure, were similar and, in some cases, higher than the treatments subjected to conventional fertilization. The combination of manure and rock dusts provided an increase in the concentration of nutrients in both soils, resulting in their higher availability for plants and directly reflecting on the chemical composition of seeds.