Strategies for fertilization with pig and cattle slurry in wheat crop

ABSTRACT This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different managements with pig slurry (PS) and cattle slurry (CS) on wheat dry matter and grain yields, and the potential to estimate this variation with the NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index) and NDRE (normalized difference red edge index) vegetation indices. The experiment was conducted in Frederico Westphalen-RS, Brazil, in a randomized block experimental design, in a 2 x 7 factorial scheme with four replicates and seven forms of surface and subsurface application, with and without the use of the dicyandiamide (DCD) nitrification inhibitor, distributed as follows: control without application of slurry and DCD; control without application of slurry and DCD, but scarified only with the injection machine; surface application; surface application with DCD; subsurface injection; subsurface injection with DCD; and application of NPK in mineral form. At flowering of the wheat crop, dry matter was collected and readings of NDVI and NDRE were taken, and finally grain yield was quantified. For PS and CS, best results of dry matter and grain yields were found in managements with subsurface injection and subsurface injection with DCD, respectively. Among the vegetation indices, only NDVI was efficient to estimate variations in the management using CS for wheat dry matter and grain yields.