UTILIZATION OF BREWER'S YEAST WASTE IN THE PROMOTION OF GROWTH OF Coffea arabica
Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Arabica coffee, Substrate
The coffee production chain has great relevance for Brazil. The country is the world's largest exporter of the beverage; thus, seedlings with good development are necessary for good crop productivity. Beer yeast waste (BYW), known as sludge, is rich in live yeast and presents itself as a by-product with high potential for application in crops as a biofertilizer and plant growth promoter, improving the quality of cultivated plants. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the by-product of beer production containing the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and its relationship with coffee growth promotion. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse in a completely randomized design in a 2X5 factorial scheme, with the first factor consisting of two ways of applying yeast to coffee plants (FA – Foliar Application and SA – Soil Application) and the second factor consisting of five levels of application (0, 2.3, 4.7, 9.4, e 11.7 x 10 8 cells mL -1). Treatments were applied when the seedlings presented their first pair of definitive leaves, being applied every seven days for 90 days. The results showed that foliar application of yeast is more efficient than soil application for improving the development of coffee seedlings. Under these conditions, the application of a solution containing about 2.3 x 10⁸ cells mL⁻¹ of yeast was recommended for significant increases in vegetative parameters, mainly fresh shoot weight (2.35 times), fresh root weight (4.22 times), dry shoot weight (2.23 times), and dry root weight (3.62 times), compared to the negative control (sterile solution). Overall, our findings expand knowledge on the reuse of waste as an alternative method to promote the development of coffee seedlings through the addition of materials rich in organic matter and yeast, aligning with the goals of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), providing valuable information for the development of strategies that support the concept of global health.