Soil contamination by Pb poses a significant risk to human health. The municipality of Santo Amaro da Purificação, Bahia, Brazil, has one of the most severe cases of contamination of this metal in the world. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of humic acids and activated charcoal as soil amendments for reducing the toxicity of Pb to corn plants grown in contaminated soil collected near the area of the company responsible for the contamination. Application rates […]

Chlorophyll determination with a portable chlorophyll meter can indicate the period of highest N demand of plants and whether sidedressing is required or not. In this sense, defining the optimal timing of N application to common bean is fundamental to increase N use efficiency, increase yields and reduce the cost of fertilization. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the efficiency of N sufficiency index (NSI) calculated based on the relative chlorophyll index (RCI) in leaves, measured with a […]

Nitrogen and K deficiency are among the most yield limiting factors in Brazilian pastures. The lack of these nutrients can hamper the chlorophyll biosynthesis and N content in plant tissues. A greenhouse experiment was carried out to evaluate the relationship among N and K concentrations, the indirect determination of chlorophyll content (SPAD readings), nitrate reductase activity (RNO3–) in newly expanded leaf lamina (NL) and the dry matter yield for plant tops of Mombaça grass (Panicum maximum Jacq.). A fractionated 52 […]

The alteration of spatial distribution of plants is an option to increase the grain yield. For high-yielding materials more information about the influence of nitrogen fertilization is needed. Thus, the influence of row spacing, population densities and nitrogen rates on the leaf nitrogen concentration, estimated concentration of chlorophyll, number of grains per ear, mass of thousand grains, grain yield, and protein content were evaluated. This study was carried out in the 2000/2001growth season; the treatments were two row spacings (0.60 […]

An adequate nitrogen fertilizing management throughout a crop cycle of bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is problematical for lack of an index of available soil N and because the chemical leaf analysis, on the other hand, is a slow diagnosis method. The experiment was conducted in a plastic tunnel of the Dept. of Natural Resources/Soil Science, of FCA/UNESP, Botucatu, São Paulo State, in pots, with the objective to assess the nitrogen sufficiency index (NSI). Calculations consisted in chlorophyll meter readings […]