Sewage sludge can be a viable alternative as organic manure for lettuce culture in sandy soils. A field experiment was carried out to evaluate the yield and quality of lettuce fertilized with sewage sludge in comparison with poultry manure. The treatments were sewage sludge, sewage sludge + NPK, poultry manure, poultry manure + NPK and control (without fertilizer). The yield and commercial quality of lettuce fertilized with sewage sludge did not differ from the treatments with poultry manure. Macronutrients content in lettuce leaves did not differ from sewage sludge or poultry manure. The micronutrients and heavy metal contents in lettuce leaves did not differ between organic manure and control. The sewage sludge derived from brewery can substitute the poultry manure in organic fertilization of the lettuce, without reducing the yield and quality of this culture and did not affect heavy metal content in the leaves.
Lactuca sativa L.; organic residue; heavy metal
