The residue of crab show potencial as organic fertilizer. This study evaluated the effect of applying concentrations of residue of crab Uçá in sanilization of soil, on growth, chlorophyll and organic and inorganic solutes in melon. This experiment was conducted under greenhouse conditions from May to June in 2010. Eight treatments were used corresponding to percentage of 0, 1, 3, 5, 10, 20 and 30% crab residue and a treatment containing mineral fertilizers (Hoagland solution), each with six replications. Thirty days after sowing in the soil : water (1:1) extract: pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and K+ and Na+ were evaluated. In plants dry mass of shoot, leaf area, root dry mass and leaf contents of chlorophyll and organic and inorganic solutes were evaluated. The increase in concentrations of crab residue significantly increases the pH, EC Na+ and K+ in the soil. Quadratic trends were observed for growth parameters and chlorophyll contents in the plants. The increase in the EC and the levels of Na+ contributed to reduce plants growth in the higher levels of crab residue.
fertilization; Ucides cordatus; Cucumis melo
