Abstract

The Sunflower plant is an oilseed of great importance on the world stage. However, their productivity may be compromised by lack of rain and availability of nutrients. Thus this study aimed to evaluate the growth of sunflower plants under different hydric regimes in two soils with the application of cattle biofertilizer. The experiment was performed in a greenhouse State University of Paraíba campus IV in Catolé do Rocha, Paraíba, Brazil. The treatments were arranged in a completely randomized design using a 2 × 2 × 5 factorial for two levels of water availability (100 and 50% WA), two soils Entisol and Alfisol and five rates of cattle biofertilizer (0.0, 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10% of the substrate volume), totaling 20 treatments with nine replications and 180 experimental plots. At 90 days after sowing the plants were evaluated for growth and biomass accumulation. The reduction from 100 to 50% WA negatively affected the vegetative behavior of the plants in both soils. The increased growth and biomass accumulation occurred with the application of biofertilizer rates of 3.5 and 10% (v/v) in Entisol and Alfisol, and respectively.

Key words: Helianthus annuus L., organic fertilization, irrigation.