Poultry litter as an alternative source for nitrogen in wheat

Wheat grains have excelente bromatological quality, having high protein concentration. The increasing consumption of poultry meat is important for the economy, mainly in the states of Santa Catarina, Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul. The poultry industry generates high amount of waste, which can be used as fertilizer due to the concentration of nutrients and emerge as an alternative organic fertilizer for crops. The poultry litter can be characterized as waste composed by sawdust, wood shavings, rice hulls, poultry waste, feathers, ration residues, among others. However, the nitrogen must be supplied in optimum quantity and timing to ensure that the plant can express its maximum yield potential. Thus, the phenological stage that the plant is located is the indicator of the moment of nitrogen application. It is known that the various sources used to supply the nutritional demand of culture, express high added value, thus the use of poultry litter becomes an economic and environmentally sustainable alternative. The most practical definition for poultry litter is the material used to form the warehouse floor of the farms, composed of rice straw, grass hay, corn cobs, sawdust, wood shavings, feathers and ration residues. Among the nutrients, nitrogen is essential for wheat, because it increases the growth and development of the culture, having direct influence on the quality and quantity of grain. The use of poultry litter becomes an alternative to the producer, due to the need for material disposal, as well as the utilization of nutrient concentrations of compounds, that provide nutrients necessary for plant development.