Potencial do silício no desempenho produtivo de cultivares de feijão-caupi no Cerrado Piauiense

Abstract

The foliar application of silicon (Si) appears as a management strategy that aims to optimize the yield of agricultural crops, such as cowpea, under adequate growing conditions and, above all, under restrictive circumstances, due to its enhancing action in greater tolerance to, biotic and abiotic stress. In this sense, the research aimed to evaluate foliar silicon doses on the growth parameters and grain productivity of two cowpea cultivars. The study was carried out in the field under rainfed conditions, at the Fazenda Escola (FAZESC) of the IFPI-Uruçuí campus, in an experimental design in randomized blocks with four repetitions, in a scheme of plots subdivided 2 x 4, the plots corresponding to two cowpi bean cultivars (BRS Novaera and BRS Tumucumaque) and the subplots composed of four doses of Si (0, 5, 10, 20 g ha-1) applied in stages V5, R2 and R3. The following variables were evaluated: plant height, dry mass of the aerial part, number of pods per plant, number of grains per pod, mass of 100 grains and average grain productivity. Grain productivity increased by 39.17% in the BRS Tumucumaque cultivar when supplemented with Si starting at 5 g ha-1. Doses of Si do not increase production for the cultivation of BRS Novaera. Silicon supplementation is a promising strategy to improve the agronomic performance of cowpea out of season in the Cerrado Piauiense, depending on the cultivar