The use of organo-mineral biofertilizers containing alga extracts is recent in Brazil. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of leaf application of Ascophyllum nodosum extract biofertilizer (Activo®) on growth and on the nutrient content of carrot. The experiment was carried out in the garden area at Paraná Federal University, in the city of Pinhais, State of Paraná, in 2009, in an organic system, using the cultivar Nantes. The treatments consisted in the application of organo-mineral biofertilizer containing alga extract in different seasons and at different concentrations. The treatments were as follows: 0.2% on the 25th day after planting (DAP); 0.4% on the 25th DAP; 0.2% on the 45th DAP and 0.4% on the 45thDAP. The applications increased shoot height, root diameter and number of leaves, which was also influenced by the concentration. Yield increased with the application of the biofertilizer, regardless of concentration and period of application. The nutritional content in shoots and roots were also changed due to the application, where a decrease on foliar contents of Cu and on the root contents of N, Ca, Mg, Cu and Zn was observed possibly due to the dilution effect as a result of the increased biomass. It is concluded that the application of organo-mineral fertilizer containing alga extract was beneficial to plant growth, development and yield of carrot plants, which resulted in a decrease in the nutritional contents.
Ascophyllum nodosum; biofertilizer; organic farming
