Reduced doses of biofertilizer maintain the growth and nodulation of mung beans as well as mineral fertilization

Abstract

Green mung bean cultivation has expanded in Brazil, but fertilization is a significant challenge that ensures crop establishment and productivity. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different doses of the biofertilizer AFERT on the growth and development of green mung bean plants under controlled conditions. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design with six treatments and four replications. Five doses (100, 80, 60, 40, and 20% AFERT) corresponding to different fertilization rates with the biofertilizer AFERT (04-14-12 + water-retainer) were used, and as a control, the mineral fertilizer NPK (04-14-08) was used at a dose of 2 t ha⁻¹. The variables evaluated were plant height (PH); stem diameter (SD); nodule weight (NW); leaf weight (LW); pod weight (PW); grain weight (GW); root length (RL); and root volume (RV). The biofertilizer AFERT demonstrated high agronomic potential for the cultivation of mung beans. AFERT showed productive performance equivalent to mineral fertilization, mainly for doses up to 60% of the 100% dose used, without harming most variables (AP, DC, CR and VR) and productive components (PV, PG).