Morphology and biomass yield of forage cactus under mineral fertilization in organic soil

The objective of this study was to evaluate the morphological characteristics and yield of the biomass of forage cactus in mineral fertilizers in organic soil. The experiment was conducted in vases, in the open in the experimental area of the Federal University of Campina Grande - UFCG. The experimental design was completely randomized in a factorial scheme 3×2 with four replications in which factors consisted of three palm varieties (Orelha de Elefante, Baiana and Miuda) and two managements fertilization (M1 - without application of fertilizer in the foundation and M2 - with NPK application on the foundation). The cultivars and the type of isolated fertilization significantly influenced the morphology and yield of the biomass of forage cactus under mineral fertilizers in organic soil. Treatment with NPK application had positive influence on the morphology and yield of cultivars biomass. The length, width, thickness and green mass cladodes weight of Orelha de Elefante and Baiana showed maximum yield. The interaction between the factors was significant only in the yield in kg-1 vase of forage cactus, with the NPK fertilization that led to maximum yield for cultivar Miuda.   Key words:  Morphometry, Opuntia, Nopalea, green mass production, fertilization types.