Volume 27, Number 4, 2003

Volumetric soil water content (q) can be evaluated in the field by direct or indirect methods. Among the direct, the gravimetric method is regarded as highly reliable and thus often preferred. Its main disadvantages are that sampling and laboratory procedures are labor intensive, and that the method is destructive, which makes resampling of a same point impossible. Recently, the time domain reflectometry (TDR) technique has become a widely used indirect, non-destructive method to evaluate q. In this study, evaluations of […]

This greenhouse experiment was carried out to evaluate the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and Rhizobium on dry matter production, N uptake and efficiency of use in Eucalyptus grandis and Sesbania virgata plants grown in intercropping systems. The transfer of N from Sesbania virgata to Eucalyptus was also evaluated, using the isotope 15N. The treatments were: with or without inoculation of both plant species with AMF and with or without inoculation of S. virgata with Rhizobium. Plastic pots divided […]

The effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and Rhizobium on P uptake and efficiency of use, as well as on the P fractions of Eucalyptus grandis grown in an intercropping system with Sesbania virgata were evaluated under greenhouse conditions. The treatments were: with or without inoculation with AMF of both plant species and with or without inoculation with Rhizobium of S. virgata plants only, in four replications. The two plant species were grown together in pots with a volume of […]

Dynamics of decomposition and nitrogen (N) release of cover crop residues in mixed and single cultures was evaluated in a field experiment. The following materials were used: (a) black oat (Avena strigosa Schieb); (b) common vetch (Vicia sativa L.); (c) oilseed radish (Raphanus sativus L. var. oleiferus Metzg.); (d) 32 % black oat + 68 % common vetch, and (e) 51 % black oat + 49 % common vetch. To monitor the residue decomposition, air-dried plant material was inserted in 0.5 mm mesh nylon-bags (0.2 […]

In pastures, the evaluation of fertilization efficiency of urea-N is important since it is applied on a massive scale. Several studies report an enhancement of the fertilizer’s efficiency by associated applications of urea with potassium chloride (KCl) and ordinary superphosphate (OSP). In the recovery of degraded pastures or in intensive exploration systems, high quantities of KCl and OSP used as corrective fertilization are applied at the november, beginning of the rain season. Split applications of KCl and OSP could easily […]

An experiment was carried out to evaluate how mineralized nitrogen from cane trash and urea nitrogen applied to the soil is utilized by sugarcane ratoon. The field experiment was carried out from October 1997 to August 1998 on a Paleudalf soil in Piracicaba, State of São Paulo, Brazil. Four treatments were established: (T1) application of a vinasse and urea mixture over the whole soil area covered with cane trash-15N (crop residue); (T2) application of a vinasse and urea-15N mixture over […]

Where sugarcane is harvested without burning, a thick layer of straw remains on the soil. This crop residue modifies the agroecosystem and requires a reformulation of the crop management. Urea is the most common nitrogen source for sugarcane but, when applied on top of the crop residue, NH3-Nloss rates are high. This work was carried out under field conditions in the sugarcane production region of Piracicaba, State of São Paulo, Brazil, on an Arenic Kanhaplodult, using the third rattoon of […]

The efficiency of three new phosphate fertilizers (test sources, TS) was assessed and compared to traditional P fertilizers in terms of nutrition and yield of soybeans, on three different soils: a Quartzarenic Neosol, a loamy dystrophic Red-Yellow Latosol, and a clayey dystrophic Red-Yellow Latosol. The greenhouse experiments, in a factorial layout of (2 x 4) + 8, compared two TS (TS1 and TS2) in four doses, with eight additional treatments for each soil [triple superphosphate with calcitic lime, triple superphosphate […]

In order to achieve more sound fertilizer recommendations, knowledge about nutritional requirements of rice in different growing systems is fundamental. The objective of this paper was to evaluate the effects of water levels on nutrition and nutrient exportation by upland rice (cultivar IAC 201) under two levels of mineral fertilizer. Experiments were conducted in the growing seasons of 1994/95 and 1995/96 on a Typic Haplustox, in Selvíria, State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. The experimental design was of randomized […]

The constant use of fertilizers that does not contain sulfur, in addition to low organic matter content of some soils, may result in sulfur limitation to crops. Due to the high mobility of the sulfate ion in many soils, it is important to know the residual effect of the phosphogypsum when added to the soil as S source, in order to estimate its application frequency. Experiments were performed under field conditions, in two years, in order to evaluate the effect […]