Nutritional evaluation of Guanandi seedlings fertilized with sewage sludge

ABSTRACT The generation of sewage sludge and the concern with their fate has greatly increased. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of using in natura (SS) or composted sewage sludge (SSC) in comparison with mineral fertilizer (MF) application and a control (CT) treatment on the nutritional status of Guanandi (Calophyllum brasiliense Cambess.) seedlings in a typical Red Oxisol in Brazil. The leaf-level nutritional responses of the Guanandi seedlings to these three different fertilizers and the control were evaluated at 90 and 180 days after planting. Nutritional data of leaf variables were compared between the treatments by means of one-way analysis of variance using the F test and a pair-wise comparison of means done by Tukey’s test. The seedlings that received SS or SSC showed deficiencies in Ca, Mg, and Mn, which were confirmed by a visual diagnosis of their leaf symptoms. However, at 180 days after planting there were significant differences (p