PERFORMANCE OF SOYBEAN AND CORN SUBJECTED TO ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF LIMESTONE IN SOUTHWESTERN GOIANA

Abstract

Some Brazilian soils are naturally acidic, and the main way to correct this acidity is through the application of limestone, which provides calcium and magnesium to the soil. In recent years, there has been an increase in the use of alternative corrective agents, such as oxides, which are still not well-known and require further studies to assess their effectiveness in agricultural areas. The present study aimed to evaluate the performance of soybean and corn when subjected to a total or partial substitution of limestone with different oxides, analyzing productivity, plant height, foliar chlorophyll content, and soil chemical attributes. The experiment was conducted at the Invernadinha farm during the 2023/2024 harvest, starting on October 25, 2023, the day of soybean sowing. The experimental design was a randomized block design with seven treatments and four replications, totaling 28 experimental units. The treatments consisted of: 1. control, with no acidity corrective agents applied; 2. application of dolomitic limestone (4,378.92 kg ha^-1); 3. application of calcium and magnesium oxide (7,882.05 kg ha^-1); 4. calcium oxide (4,777 kg ha^-1); 5. calcium oxide enriched with sulfur (3,153.9 kg ha^-1); 6. dolomitic limestone (2,314.12 kg ha^-1) and calcium oxide enriched with sulfur (3,622.1 kg ha^-1); 7. calcium and magnesium oxide (4,165.42 kg ha^-1) and calcium oxide enriched with sulfur (3,622.1 kg ha^-1). The different acidity correction treatments did not influence the productivity of the crops. However, sulfur increased its levels in the 0 to 0.2 m and 0.2 to 0.4 m soil layers in the treatments where calcium oxide with sulfur was used or mixed with other acidity corrective agents. The SPAD index of chlorophyll B and total chlorophyll was affected by the different soil acidity management practices.