Evaluation Of The Effect Of Diatomaceous Earth As A Sustainable Alternative In Commercial Interest Crops In Colombia

Abstract

Current production of seasonal crops needs to have more efficient integrated handling to obtain expected returns, contribute to sustainability and the environment, as an alternative incorporating in bio-agricultural inputs. The aim of this research was to evaluate the effect of diatomaceous earth (TDDA) as bioinput, fertilization and biological control in commercial crops: corn (Zea mays), bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), carrot (Daucus carota L.) and yellow potato (Solanum phureja). We compared the following treatments: TDDA + commercial compost, TDDA + chemical fertilizer, TDDA + compost and control (traditional chemical). The fieldwork was conducted in private property located in Guchipas, a municipality of Pasca, (Cundinamarca department). We performed a Latin square design for each crop. Chemical analyses were made at the private Calderon’s soil laboratory. For data processing we used MEANS in SAS statistical package (version 9.0). When a significant effect (α=0.05) was shown by the Tukey means test, significant differences between crops for physiological variables (leaf area index, relative growth rate, dry weight, fresh weight and height) were found (P<0.05). The best results for phenological variables and productivity were obtained for TDDA + chemical fertilizer, and TDDA + compost treatments. Pests as whitefly (T. vaporariorum) and thrips (Thrips tabaci) were controlled. Diatomaceous earth application allows the dose of chemical fertilizers, thereby promoting healthier environmental management. Keywords: diatomaceous earth, sustainability, commercial crops, productivity and environment.