Volume 32, Number 4, 2008

Fertilization and irrigation is intensively used for seedling production in substrate, which can result in high nutrient losses. Phosphorus (P) is heavily used in the preparation of the potting mix, but studies on nutrient losses are scarce. The objective of this study was to evaluate the chemical attributes in leachate from potting mix during rooting of cocoa tree cuttings under intermittent irrigation and P fertilization in a 5 x 5 factorial, complete randomized block design with three replications. The factors […]

Surface lime application to an acid soil under no-till system and normal rainfall conditions increases yield and crop root growth near the soil surface, but the effects of lime sources like flue dust, sewage sludge and aqueous lime have not been fully investigated . The experiment aimed to evaluate the effects of surface application of different lime sources on soil chemical attributes of a clayey, dystrophic Oxisol and black oat root growth and yield under a no-till system. Evaluations were […]

Nitrogen deficiency is one of the important causes of degradation of cultivated pasture, mainly in the case of Brachiaria pastures. Soil recovery is a way to restore the productive capacity of pastures in degradation. Among nutrients, nitrogen is considered essential and largely responsible for pasture area recovery. The research objective was to evaluate the effects of application of nitrogen doses and sources on marandu grass pasture over a period of three years, based on soil chemical characteristics such as pH, […]

Nitrogen fertilization positively influences nutritional aspects in grass and can result in largely recovered pastures. The research objective was to study the nutrition of marandu grass treated with nitrogen doses and sources, by methods of indirect determination of chlorophyll (SPAD) and total nitrogen concentration and the relation between them and inorganic nitrogen contents (N-NH4+ and N-NO3–) in plant leaves. The experiment was carried out from July of 2003 to March of 2006 on a model farm of the Universidade Estadual […]

Crop residue production, plant residue maintenance and their decomposition are important factors in the understanding of nutrient recycling process. To evaluate K accumulation and release a study with eight cover crops types was developed: pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum sin. tiphoydes), brachiaria grass (Brachiaria brizantha), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench), pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp), sunn hemp (Crotalarea juncea) and black oats (Avena strigosa Schreb), fallow land and conventional culture (control) in the experimental area of CEFET-Uberaba-MG, in a Cerrado area. […]

Ammonium and nitrate ions from soil organic N mineralization are the predominant N mineral forms available to plants. The ion ratio and distribution along the soil profile show daily fluctuations and oscillate seasonally. NH4+ and NO3– soil content were evaluated in two adjacent plots, one of them farmed continuously with barley, soybean and barley in a no-tillage system for more than 10 years, with pH 6.0 and fertilized with P and K. A second plot was maintained undisturbed, with native […]

Nitrogen removal in soybean grains at harvest may exceed biological N2 fixation, particularly if grain yields are as high as typically achieved on “Terra Rossa” soils of Eastern Paraguay. Applying N fertilizer or coating seeds with rhizobial inoculants that enhance nodulation may represent a way of balancing the N budget. However, the effects of such treatments appear to be highly site-specific. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of N application (N) and rhizobial inoculation (I) on […]

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) seeds with high molybdenum concentration can adequately supply the crop demand of this nutrient. Two experiments were conducted in a greenhouse to evaluate the effect of Mo-enriched seeds, obtained from plants treated with foliar fertilization, on growth and N accumulation by common bean plants. The soil substrate was the A horizon of a Haplustult (3.5 kg pots), which were limed and fully fertilized with exception of Mo. The first experiment had a 3 x 2 x […]

Hydrogels based on polyacrylamide (PAAm) were synthesized and their efficiency for the controlled release of ammonium and potassium contained in fertilizers evaluated. The hydrogels were synthesized by polymerizing acrylamide (AAm) in aqueous solution at two acrylamide concentrations (3.6 and 21.7 %) using N-N’-methylene-bisacrylamide (MBAAm) as cross-linker and N,N,N’,N’ tetramethylethylenediamine (TEMED) as catalytic agent. Nutrient fixation was performed by immersion of hydrogels in aqueous nutrient solutions with 86 and 82 mg L-1 K+ and NH4+. The hydrophilic, spectroscopic and morphological properties […]

Ca and Mg silicate application can ameliorate soil acidity and increase Ca, Mg, P, and Si availability to plants. Although Si is not an essential nutrient, its application is beneficial for plant growth and development, mainly under stress conditions. This study aimed to evaluate potato nutrition, yield and quality of tuber in a soil amended with limestone and silicate, under two soil moisture conditions. The treatments consisted of dolomitic limestone or Ca and Mg silicate application, at rates calculated to […]