Abstract
The Brazilian semiarid region is characterized by dry and hot climate, with low rainfall and poorly distributed over time. In the soils of this region, due to the high temperatures, organic matter (OM) decomposes quickly, resulting in low reserve levels. To improve fertility and reduce the evaporation of these soils, cattle manure has been applied as organic fertilizer and vegetal wastes as mulch, respectively. Based on this, this study aimed at evaluating the effect of elevation of the OM content, irrigation and soil mulching in leaf micronutrient okra. The experiment was carried out at the Agroecology Sector of Paraíba State University, Brazil, during the period from September 2015 to February 2016. The treatments were distributed in randomized blocks in a factorial design 5 x 2 x 2, referring to the following treatments: five rates of cattle manure in sufficient rates to raise the content of OM in the soil from 1.80 (value existent in the soil) to 2.8; 3.8; 4.8 and 5.8%, two water depths (50 and 100%) of crop evapotranspiration (ETc) and soil with and without mulching with plant parsley. At the beginning of flowering (45 days after sowing (DAS)), leaf D was collected from four plants of each treatment to determine the boron (B), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) levels to evaluate the nutritional status of the crop.Harvesting started at 64 DAS up until 150 DAS; in this period the average weight of green fruits per plant was obtained (g). The interaction of OM with water slides significantly influenced the Cu contents in okra leaves. However, the interaction of the three factors significantly influenced only B, Zn and fruit weight. The management used in this study improved the nutritional status of the okra plant and increase its production.
