Cultivation of sorghum and sunflower in soils with amendment of sludge from industrial landfill

Purpose The purpose of this work was to evaluate the impacts of the amendment of industrial landfill sludge (ILS) in twodifferent soils with cultivation of sunflower and sorghum plants.Methods The plants grew in two types of soils (Typic Paleudult—TP, and Grossarenic Hapludult—GH) with different dosesof ILS (0, 2, 5, 10, and 20 Mg ha−1). The evaluation of the pH, electrical conductivity, available concentrations of P, K, Ca,Mg, and Na, and the hydrolysis of FDA in the soils were tested. The height and dry mass of both plants were measured, aswell as the stem diameter of the sunflower. The total concentration of Cu, Cd, Cr, and Pb was evaluated in the plants andsoils, in addition to the translocation factor of those in the plants.Results The amendment of ILS in the soils was efficient to increase the pH and macronutrients, as to increase the biomassproduction. The largest production occurred with 10 Mg ha−1, and the highest dose (20 Mg ha−1) had negative effects in alltreatments. Both plants had low accumulation of Cu, Cd, and Pb in their tissues. Cr increased in the roots of sunflower plants(especially in the TP soil) without translocation to the shoots.Conclusions The amendment of ILS in soils is an alternative to disposal with benefits to plants and soil quality. TP soil presentedbetter results, being more secure to receive the sludge due to its higher content of clay when compared to the GH soil.