NÓBREGA, J. A.; NÓBREGA, Jerônimo Andrade da.
Abstract:
Jatropha curcas L. is an oilseed plant in process of domestication to biofuel production. In
order to contribute to its crop system, it was carried out, between June 2011 and May 2012, an
experiment under field conditions in Barra Experimental Farm, Santa Luzia, PB. The aim was
to study effects of organic fertilization on growth, development and production of jatropha
irrigated with wastewater. Plants were sown in plastic bags containing organic substrate, and
transplanted to a field with area closely to 1120m2. It was adopted the randomized blocks
design in a split plot scheme with 4x3+1 factorial with three replications. The treatments
studied were 3 fertilization levels (A1 = 5kg, 10kg = A2, A3 = 15 kg per plant) and 4 levels
replacement of crop evapotranspiration (L1 = 25%; L2 = 50%; L3 = 75%; L4 = 100%), and
an additional treatment (control). Plant height (AP), stem diameter (DC), number of leaves
(NF), fruit weight, peel and seed, (PF, PC, PS), oil content and leaf gas exchange. There was a
significant effect of fertilization factor in the variables plant height, stem diameter and
number of leaves, reaching higher levels when organic fertilizer was applied with 15kg per
plant. The irrigation levels increased in water availability caused a significant effect on the
variables studied, mainly in plant height. It was appears that the variable production under
fertilizer doses was not significantly affected, as a function of irrigation with wastewater was
found significantly (p ≤ 0.01), then verifying that the influence of the levels of wastewater
replacement is independent of the amount of organic fertilizer that was used in the survey.
Similar effect was also observed in leaf gas exchange. Jatropha oil was no significant
difference in physical and chemical properties. Depending on the treatments tested it was
found that even the energetic attributes obtained from jatropha oil is according to the
specifications of the Agência Nacional de Petróleo (ANP).
