Doses of N, P and K in the cultivation of eucalyptus in soil originally under Cerrado vegetation

Abstract

Many eucalyptus plantations in Brazil are in areas of soil with low fertility, with little phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) availability and with low organic matter (OM) content, resulting in a low supply of nutrients to plants, directly reflected in reduced yield. Thus, our objective was to evaluate the effects of nitrogen (N), P and K fertilization on the growth of eucalyptus plants, with the aim of achieving nutritional balance and high yield. The experiment was conducted on Renascença Farm, an agricultural property administered by Cargill Agrícola S.A., located in the city of Três Lagoas, Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil. The experimental design consisted of randomized blocks with ten treatments and five replicates. The treatments were composed of doses of N (0, 70, 105 and 140 kg ha -1 ), doses of P (0, 40, 70 and 100 kg ha -1 of P 2 O 5 ) and doses of K (0, 90, 135 and 180 kg ha -1 of K 2 O). The doses of N and K were applied at planting and as top dressing, and the doses of P were applied only at planting. The diameter at breast height (DBH), plant height and timber volume with bark were assessed, and the concentrations of macronutrients in the leaves were determined. DBH and volume were positively affected by N fertilization, and eucalyptus growth in DBH, height and volume increased with P and K fertilization. The maximum yield of eucalyptus at 21 months of age was obtained with the application of 71 kg ha -1 of N, 100 kg ha -1 of P 2 O 5 and 125 kg ha -1 of K 2 O. The concentrations of macronutrients were adequate even in the absence of the application of N, P and K. With increasing doses of K, there was an increase in leaf concentrations of K and a decrease in those of calcium and magnesium.

Soil Chemical Attributes, Biometric Characteristics, and Concentrations of N and P in Leaves and Litter Affected by Fertilization and the Number of Sprouts per the Eucalyptus L’Hér. Strain in the Brazilian Cerrado

“…A moderate Mg deficiency was observed in Eucalyptus, which explains this reduction in the LCI and plant growth. Gazola et al [29], under the same soil and climatic conditions, found that increasing the K dosage resulted in an increase in the K concentrations in the leaves and a decrease in the Ca and Mg concentrations in the Eucalyptus.…”

“…Under the same soil and climatic conditions, in the first cycle of Eucalyptus, Gazola et al [29] verified that the maximum yield of Eucalyptus was obtained at 21 months of age with the application of 71 kg ha −1 of N, 100 kg ha −1 of P 2 O 5 , and 125 kg ha −1 of K 2 O. Celestrino [33] observed positive results for plant height, DBH, and VW with a dose of 1 kg ha −1 of B applied to the Eucalyptus.…”

Management intensification maintains wood production over multiple harvests in tropical Eucalyptus plantations

“…While these inputs are less than for common annual crops in the region, fertilizer application may represent a significant operating cost in plantations (Franco et al 2015, Martins et al 2015, Matsuura et al 2017). Fertilization beyond current application rates does not typically increase production following canopy closure , de Gazola et al 2015, Pulito et al 2015. Fertilizer is generally applied only in the first 2-3 yr of the rotation, and companies have investigated consolidating into a single application per cycle (da .…”

Nitrogen Alters Initial Growth, Fine-Root Biomass and Soil Organic Matter Properties of a Eucalyptus dunnii Maiden Plantation in a Recently Afforested Grassland in Southern Brazil

“…Mineralizable N and the efficient internal N cycling are considered to suffice their fast growth [47,48]. Seldom responses of eucalypt growth to N fertilization are found in literature and they are usually limited to the first two years, while canopy is still in formation or under N limiting situations [11,[14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. Here, tree height responded positively to N fertilization during the two-year evaluation, even with relatively high initial soil N content and low soil C:N ratio (Table 1).…”

“…Forest growth is mainly limited by nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in tropical regions [13]. However, the response of eucalypt plantations to N fertilization has been widely discussed and contradictory in the literature [11,[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]. Some authors have shown positive responses to N fertilization [11,15,16], especially on initial growth phases [14], while others have shown no response to N supply, suggesting that the soil organic mineralizable N is the main source and sufficient to support tree demand [21][22][23].…”