Promoção de crescimento de cafeeiros por Aspergillus niger: estudo de mecanismos por biometria e fotogrametria

Abstract

Aspergillus niger is considered a multifunctional fungus for promoting the release of phosphorus (P) in the soil through processes such as solubilization and mineralization, in addition to promoting plant growth, making it a promising candidate for the development of biofertilizers. As a result, this work aimed to determine the potential use of A. niger in coffee plants, evaluate its ability to solubilize P in the soil and verify its ability to produce organic compounds and enzymes that promote plant growth. The A. niger was initially investigated for its ability to solubilize P in the soil as well as promote coffee plant growth. The results indicate that the inoculation of the fungus formulation in the seedling promoted greater growth and development of the productive parts of the plant, such as stem diameter (mm), number of nodes and length of the plagiotropic branch (cm), evidencing the importance of the seedling inoculated with the fungus for the establishment of the culture in the field. Aerial images were also employed to monitor the growth and development of the plant by using photogrammetry, showing that it is possible to monitor the crop through vegetative indices extracted from these images. Subsequently, the A. niger FS1 and ATCC 1015 isolated were investigated for growth promoting activities such as the production of phosphatase and deaminase ACC enzymes and the presence of siderophores. The isolated showed satisfactory results regarding the presence of siderophores, being a promising microorganism for the indirect biocontrol of phytopathogens, in addition to presenting the synthesis of the phosphatase enzyme, acting directly in the recycling of P in the soil, making it available to the plant. In general, the applicability of A. niger in agricultural areas becomes advantageous since its use can result in the reduction of costs with chemical fertilizers and pesticides, providing an increase in productivity and reducing environmental impacts.