Cation dynamics in soils with different salinity levels growing irrigated rice

Salinity levels in soils of the Outer Coastal Plain of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, can be high, due to excess of Na in the irrigation water, evapotranspiration and soil development from marine sediments. The cultivation of irrigated rice could be an alternative, since ion uptake as well as leaching by the establishment of a water layer could mitigate the effects of soil salinity. This study aimed to evaluate the dynamics of basic cations in the solution of Albaqualf soils with different salinity levels growing irrigated rice. The plow layer contained exchangeable Na percentages (ESP) of 5.6, 9.0, 21.2 and 32.7 %. The plant stand, dry matter, Na, K and Ca + Mg uptake at full flowering and grain yield were evaluated. The levels of Na, K, Ca + Mg and electrical conductivity (EC) in the soil solution were also measured weekly during the rice cycle at four soil depths, in the water layer and irrigation water. The Na, K and Ca + Mg uptake by rice at full flowering was used to estimate ion depletion from the layer under root influence. Soil salinity induced a reduction in the rice stand, especially in the soil with ESP of 32.7 %, resulting in lower cation uptake and very low yield at that site. As observed in the water layer and irrigation water, the Na, K, Ca + Mg and EC levels in the soil solution decreased with time at depths of 5, 10 and 20 cm, regardless of the original soil salinity, showing that cation dynamics in the plow layer was determined by leaching and root uptake, rather than by the effect of evapoconcentration of basic cations in the soil surface layer.

Attributes of irrigated rice as affected by soil sodicity and potassic fertilizer application

Soils of the coastal plains of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, are affected by salinization, which can hamper the establishment and development of crops in general, including rice. The application of high doses of KCl may aggravate the crop damage, due to the high saline content of this fertilizer. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of K fertilizer management on some properties of rice plant, grown in soils with different sodicity levels, and determine which attribute is best related to yield. The field study was conducted in four Albaqualfs with exchangeable Na percentages of 5.6, 9.0, 21 and 32 %. The management of KCl fertilizer consisted of the application of 90 kg ha-1 K2O broadcast, 90 kg ha-1 K2O in the row and 45 kg ha-1 K2O in the row + 45 kg ha-1 K2O at panicle initiation (PI). Plant density, dry matter evolution, height, SPAD (Soil Plant Analysis Development value indicating relative chlorophyll contents) index, tiller mass, 1,000-grain weight, panicle length and grain yield were evaluated. The plant density was damaged by application of K fertilizer in the row, especially at full dose (90 kg ha-1), at three sodicity levels, resulting in loss in biomass accumulation in later stages, affecting the crop yield, even at the lowest level of soil sodicity (5.6 %). All properties were correlated with yield; the highest positive correlation was found with plant density and shoot dry matter at full flowering, and a negative correlation with panicle length.

Chemical and microbiological attributes of an oxisol treated with successive applications of sewage sludge¹

Studies on sewage sludge (SS) have confirmed the possibilities of using this waste as fertilizer and/or soil conditioner in crop production areas. Despite restrictions with regard to the levels of potentially toxic elements (PTE) and pathogens, it is believed that properly treated SS with low PTE levels, applied to soil at adequate rates, may improve the soil chemical and microbiological properties. This study consisted of a long-term field experiment conducted on a Typic Haplorthox (eutroferric Red Latosol) treated with SS for seven successive years for maize production, to evaluate changes in the soil chemical and microbiological properties. The treatments consisted of two SS rates (single and double dose of the crop N requirement) and a mineral fertilizer treatment. Soil was sampled in the 0-0.20 m layer and analyzed for chemical properties (organic C, pH, P, K, Ca, Mg, CEC, B, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cd, Ni, and Pb) and microbiological properties (basal respiration, microbial biomass activity, microbial biomass C, metabolic quotient, microbial quotient, and protease and dehydrogenase enzyme activities). Successive SS applications to soil increased the macro- and micronutrient availability, but the highest SS dose reduced the soil pH significantly, indicating a need for periodic corrections. The SS treatments also affected soil microbial activity and biomass negatively. There were no significant differences among treatments for maize grain yield. After seven annual applications of the recommended sludge rate, the heavy metal levels in the soil had not reached toxic levels.

The nitrogen sufficiency index underlying estimates of nitrogen fertilization requirements of common bean

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 portable chlorophyll meter, as an indicator of time of N sidedressing fertilization and to verify which NSI (90 and 95 %) value is the most appropriate to indicate the moment of N fertilization of common bean cultivar Perola. The experiment was carried out in the rainy and dry growing seasons of the agricultural year 2009/10 on a dystroferric Red Nitosol, in Botucatu, São Paulo State, Brazil. The experiment was arranged in a randomized complete block design with five treatments, consisting of N managements (M1: 200 kg ha-1 N (40 kg at sowing + 80 kg 15 days after emergence (DAE) + 80 kg 30 DAE); M2: 100 kg ha-1 N (20 kg at sowing + 40 kg 15 DAE + 40 kg 30 DAE); M3: 20 kg ha-1 N at sowing + 30 kg ha-1 when chlorophyll meter readings indicated NSI < 95 %; M4: 20 kg ha-1 N at sowing + 30 kg ha-1 N when chlorophyll meter readings indicated NSI < 90 % and, M5: control (without N application)) and four replications. The variables RCI, aboveground dry matter, total leaf N concentration, production components, grain yield, relative yield, and N use efficiency were evaluated. The RCI correlated with leaf N concentrations. By monitoring the RCI with the chlorophyll meter, the period of N sidedressing of common bean could be defined, improving N use efficiency and avoiding unnecessary N supply to common bean. The NSI 90 % of the reference area was more efficient to define the moment of N sidedressing of common bean, to increase N use efficiency.

Leaf application of silicic acid to white oat and wheat

Silicon (Si) is beneficial to plants in several aspects, but there are doubts about the effectiveness of leaf application. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the effects of Si, applied in a newly developed stabilized silicic acid form to the leaf, on nutrition and yield of irrigated white oat and wheat. Two experiments were performed (one per crop) in winter 2008, in Botucatu-SP, Brazil. A completely randomized block design with 14 replications was used. Treatments consisted of a control (without Si application) and Si leaf spraying, at a rate of 2.0 L ha-1 of the commercial product containing 0.8 % soluble Si. Silicon rate was divided in three parts, i.e. applications at tillering, floral differentiation and booting stages. Silicon leaf application increased N, P, K, and Si concentrations in white oat flag leaf, resulting in higher shoot dry matter, number of panicles per m², number of grains per panicle and grain yield increase of 34 %. In wheat, Si leaf application increased K and Si concentrations, shoot dry matter and number of spikes per m², resulting in a grain yield increase of 26.9 %.

Loss of ammonia from nitrogen fertilizers applied to maize and soybean straw

In Brazilian agriculture, urea is the most commonly used nitrogen (N) source, in spite of having the disadvantage of losing considerable amounts of N by ammonia-N volatilization. The objectives of this study were to evaluate: N lossby ammonia volatilization from: [urea coated with copper sulfate and boric acid], [urea coated with zeolite], [urea+ammonium sulfate], [urea coated with copper sulfate and boric acid+ammonium sulfate], [common urea] and [ammonium nitrate]; and the effect of these N source son the maize yield in terms of amount and quality. The treatments were applied to the surface of a soil under no-tillage maize, in two growing seasons. The first season (2009/2010) was after a maize crop (maize straw left on the soil surface) and the second cycle (2012/2011) after a soybean crop. Due to the weather conditions during the experiments, the volatilization of ammonia-N was highest in the first four days after application of the N sources. Of all urea sources, under volatilization-favorable conditions, the loss of ammonia from urea coated with copper sulfate and boric acid was lowest, while under high rainfall, the losses from the different urea sources was similar, i.e., an adequate rainfall was favorablet o reduce volatilization. The ammonia volatilization losses were greatest in the first four days after application. Maize grain yield differed due to N application and in the treatments, but this was only observed with cultivation of maize crop residues in 2009/2010. The combination of ammonium+urea coated with copper sulfate and boric acid optimized grain yield compared to the other urea treatments. The crude protein concentration in maize was not influenced by the technologies of urea coating.

Nutrient extraction and exportation by common bean cultivars under different fertilization levels: I - macronutrients

The use of cultivars with a higher yield potential and the adoption of new technology have achieved high grain yields in common bean, which probably changed the demand for nutrients in this crop. However, there is almost no information about the periods of the cycle in which nutrients are most demanded at which quantities by the main cultivars. The objective of this study was to evaluate the macronutrient extraction and exportation by the common bean cultivars Pérola and IAC Alvorada, under different levels of NPK fertilization, on a dystroferric Red Nitosol, in Botucatu, São Paulo State, Brazil. The experiment was arranged in a randomized complete block (split plot) design with four replications. The plots consisted of six treatments based on a 2 x 3 factorial model, represented by two cultivars and three NPK levels (PD0 - 'Pérola' without fertilization, PD1 - 'Pérola' with 50 % of recommended fertilization, PD2 - 'Pérola' with 100 % of recommended fertilization, AD0 - 'IAC Alvorada' without fertilization, AD1 - 'IAC Alvorada' with 50 % of recommended fertilization, and AD2 - 'IAC Alvorada' with 100 % of recommended fertilization) and subplots sampled seven times during the cycle. At higher levels of NPK fertilization, the grain yield and macronutrient extraction and exportation of both cultivars were higher, but without statistical differences. Macronutrient absorption was higher in the treatments with 100 % of recommended NPK fertilization (average amounts per hectare: 140 kg N, 16.5 kg P, 120 kg K, 69 kg Ca, 17.9 kg Mg, and 16.3 kg S). Regardless of the treatment, the demand for N, P, K, Ca, and Mg was highest from 45 to 55 days after emergence (DAE), i.e., in the R7 stage (pod formation), while the highest S absorption rates were concentrated between 55 and 65 DAE. More than 70 % of P, between 58 and 69 % of N, 40 and 52 % of S, 40 and 48 % of K, and 35 and 45 % of Mg absorbed during the cycle was exported with grains, whereas less than 15 % of Ca was exported.

Efficiency of nitrogen fertilizer applied at corn sowing in contrasting growing seasons in Paraguay

In order to select soil management practices that increase the nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE) in agro-ecosystems, the different indices of agronomic fertilizer efficiency must be evaluated under varied weather conditions. This study assessed the NUE indices in no-till corn in southern Paraguay. Nitrogen fertilizer rates from 0 to 180 kg ha-1 were applied in a single application at corn sowing and the crop response investigated in two growing seasons (2010 and 2011). The experimental design was a randomized block with three replications. Based on the data of grain yield, dry matter, and N uptake, the following fertilizer indices were assessed: agronomic N-use efficiency (ANE), apparent N recovery efficiency (NRE), N physiological efficiency (NPE), partial factor productivity (PFP), and partial nutrient balance (PNB). The weather conditions varied largely during the experimental period; the rainfall distribution was favorable for crop growth in the first season and unfavorable in the second. The PFP and ANE indices, as expected, decreased with increasing N fertilizer rates. A general analysis of the N fertilizer indices in the first season showed that the maximum rate (180 kg ha-1) obtained the highest corn yield and also optimized the efficiency of NPE, NRE and ANE. In the second season, under water stress, the most efficient N fertilizer rate (60 kg ha-1) was three times lower than in the first season, indicating a strong influence of weather conditions on NUE. Considering that weather instability is typical for southern Paraguay, anticipated full N fertilization at corn sowing is not recommended due the temporal variability of the optimum N fertilizer rate needed to achieve high ANE.

Upland rice under no-tillage preceded by crops for soil cover and nitrogen fertilization

The grain yield of upland rice under no-tillage has been unsatisfactory and one reason could be the nitrate/ammonium balance in the soil. Cover crops and nitrogen fertilization can be used to change the nitrate/ammonium relation in the soil and improve conditions for the development of upland rice in the no-tillage (NT) system. The aim was to study the effect of cover crops and nitrogen sources on grain yield of upland rice under no tillage. The study was carried out on the Fazenda Experimental Lageado, in Botucatu, State of São Paulo, Brazil, in an Oxisol area under no-tillage for six years. The experiment was arranged in a randomized block split-plot design with four replications. The plots consisted of six cover crop species (Brachiaria brizantha, B. decumbens, B. humidicola, B. ruziziensis, Pennisetum americanum, and Crotalaria spectabilis) and the split-plots of seven forms of N fertilizer management. Millet is the best cover crop to precede upland rice under NT. The best form of N application, as nitrate, is in split rates or total rate at topdressing or an ammonium source with or without a nitrification inhibitor, in split doses. When the cover crops C. spectabilis, B. brizantha, B. decumbens, B. humidicola, and B. ruziziensis preceded rice, they induced the highest grain yield when rice was fertilized with N as ammonium sulfate source + nitrification inhibitor in split rates or total dose at topdressing.

Rice straw incorporated just before soil flooding increases acetic acid formation and decreases available nitrogen

Incorporation of rice straw into the soil just before flooding for water-seeded rice can immobilize mineral nitrogen (N) and lead to the production of acetic acid harmful to the rice seedlings, which negatively affects grain yield. This study aimed to evaluate the formation of organic acids and variation in pH and to quantify the mineral N concentration in the soil as a function of different times of incorporation of rice straw or of ashes from burning the straw before flooding. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse using an Inceptisol (Typic Haplaquept) soil. The treatments were as follows: control (no straw or ash); incorporation of ashes from previous straw burning; rice straw incorporated to drained soil 60 days before flooding; straw incorporated 30 days before flooding; straw incorporated 15 days before flooding and straw incorporated on the day of flooding. Experimental units were plastic buckets with 6.0 kg of soil. The buckets remained flooded throughout the trial period without rice plants. Soil samples were collected every seven days, beginning one day before flooding until the 13th week of flooding for determination of mineral N- ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate (NO3-). Soil solution pH and concentration of organic acids (acetic, propionic and butyric) were determined. All NO3- there was before flooding was lost in approximately two weeks of flooding, in all treatments. There was sigmoidal behavior for NH4+ formation in all treatments, i.e., ammonium ion concentration began to rise shortly after soil flooding, slightly decreased and then went up again. On the 91st day of flooding, the NH4+ concentrations in soil was 56 mg kg-1 in the control treatment, 72 mg kg-1 for the 60-day treatment, 73 mg kg-1 for the 30-day treatment and 53 mg kg-1 for the ash incorporation treatment. These ammonium concentrations correspond to 84, 108, 110 and 80 kg ha-1 of N-NH4+, respectively. When the straw was incorporated on the day of flooding or 15 days before, the concentration of N-NH4+ in the soil was 28 and 54 mg kg-1, equivalent to an accumulation of 42 and 81 kg ha-1 of N-NH4+, respectively. There was formation of acetic acid in which toxic concentrations were reached (7.2 mmol L-1) on the 15th day of flooding only for the treatment with straw incorporated on the day of flooding. The pH of the soil solution of all the treatments increased after flooding and this increase was faster in the treatments with incorporation of straw, followed by the ash treatment and then the control. After 60 days of flooding, however, the pH values were around 6.5 for all treatments, except for the control, which reached a pH of 6.3. Rice straw should be incorporated into the soil at least 30 days before flooding; otherwise, it may immobilize part of the mineral N and produce acetic acid in concentrations toxic to rice seedlings.

Crop response to organic fertilization with supplementary mineral nitrogen

Animal manure is applied to the soil as a nutrient source, especially of nitrogen, to plants. However, manure application rates can be reduced with the use of N fertilizer in topdressing. The aim of this study was to evaluate crop responses to different application rates of animal manure sources, used alone and supplemented with mineral N topdressing, in a no-tillage system. The study was carried out from 2005 to 2008 on a Hapludalf soil. The treatments consisted of rates of 10, 20 and 30 m³ ha-1 of pig slurry (PS), and of 1 and 2 t ha-1 of turkey manure (TM), applied alone and supplemented with topdressed N fertilizer (TNF), as well as two controls, mineral fertilization (NPK) and one control without fertilizer application. Grain yield in common bean and maize, and dry matter yield and nutrient accumulation in common bean, maize and black oat crops were evaluated. Nitrogen application in topdressing in maize and common bean, especially when PS was used at rates of 20 and 30 m³ ha-1, and TM, at 2 t ha-1, proved effective in increasing the crop grain yields, showing the viability of the combined use of organic and industrialized mineral sources. Nitrogen accumulation in maize and common bean tissues was the indicator most strongly related to grain yield, in contrast with the apparent nutrient recovery, which was not related to the N, P and K quantities applied in the organic sources. No clear residual effect of N topdressing of maize and common bean was observed on the dry matter yield of black oat grown in succession to the main crops with PS and TM applications.

Variability of root traits in common bean genotypes at different levels of phosphorus supply and ontogenetic stages

Selection of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivars with enhanced root growth would be a strategy for increasing P uptake and grain yield in tropical soils, but the strong plasticity of root traits may compromise their inclusion in breeding programs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the magnitude of the genotypic variability of root traits in common bean plants at two ontogenetic stages and two soil P levels. Twenty-four common bean genotypes, comprising the four growth habits that exist in the species and two wild genotypes, were grown in 4 kg pots at two levels of applied P (20 and 80 mg kg-1) and harvested at the stages of pod setting and early pod filling. Root area and root length were measured by digital image analysis. Significant genotype × P level and genotype × harvest interactions in analysis of variance indicate that the genotypic variation of root traits depended on soil nutrient availability and the stage at which evaluation was made. Genotypes differed for taproot mass, basal and lateral root mass, root area and root length at both P levels and growth stages; differences in specific root area and length were small. Genotypes with growth habits II (upright indeterminate) and III (prostrate indeterminate) showed better adaptation to limited P supply than genotypes of groups I (determinate) and IV (indeterminate climbing). Between the two harvests, genotypes of groups II and III increased the mass of basal and lateral roots by 40 and 50 %, respectively, whereas genotypes of groups I and IV by only 7 and 19 %. Values of the genotypic coefficient of determination, which estimates the proportion of phenotypic variance resulting from genetic effects, were higher at early pod filling than at pod setting. Correlations between shoot mass and root mass, which could indicate indirect selection of root systems via aboveground biomass, were higher at early pod filling than at pod setting. The results indicate that selection for root traits in common bean genotypes should preferentially be performed at the early pod-filling stage.

Nitrogen fertilization (15NH4NO3) of palisadegrass and residual effect on subsequent no-tillage corn

Nitrogen is required in large amounts by plants and their dinamics in corn and perennial forages intercropped is little known. This study analyzed the efficiency of nitrogen fertilization (15NH4NO3) applied after corn grain harvest to palisadegrass (Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu) in intercrops sown at two times, as well as the N residual effect on the subsequent corn crop. The field experiment was performed in Botucatu, São Paulo State, in southeastern Brazil, on a structured Alfisol under no-tillage. The experiment was arranged in a randomized block design in a split plot scheme with four replications. The main plots consisted of two intercropping systems (corn and palisadegrass sown together and palisadegrass sown later, at corn top-dressing fertilization). The subplots consisted of four N rates (0, 30, 60, and 120 kg ha-1 N). The subplots contained microplots, in which enriched ammonium nitrate (15NH4NO3) was applied at the same rates. The time of intercrop sowing affected forage dry matter production, the amount of fertilizer-derived N in and the N use efficiency by the forage plants. Nitrogen applied in autumn to palisadegrass intercropped with corn, planted either at corn sowing or at N top-dressing fertilization, increased the forage yield up to a rate of 60 kg ha-1. The amount of fertilizer-derived N by the forage plants and the fertilizer use efficiency by palisadegrass were highest 160 days after fertilization for both intercrop sowing times, regardless of N rates. Residual N did not affect the N nutrition of corn plants grown in succession to palisadegrass, but increased grain yield at rates of 60 and 120 kg ha-1 N, when corn was grown on palisadegrass straw from the intercrop installed at corn fertilization (top-dressing). Our results indicated that the earlier intercropping allowed higher forage dry matter production. On the other hand, the later intercrop allowed a higher corn grain yield in succession to N-fertilized palisadegrass.

Do Rates and Splitting of Phosphogypsum Applications Influence the Soil and Annual Crops in a No-Tillage System?

ABSTRACT Applications of phosphogypsum (PG) provide nutrients to the soil and reduce Al3+ activity, favoring soil fertility and root growth, but allow Mg2+ mobilization through the soil profile, resulting in variations in the PG rate required to achieve the optimum crop yield. This study evaluated the effect of application rates and splitting of PG on soil fertility of a Typic Hapludox, as well as the influence on annual crops under no-tillage. Using a (4 × 3) + 1 factorial structure, the treatments consisted of four PG rates (3, 6, 9, and 12 Mg ha-1) and three split applications (P1 = 100 % in 2009; P2 = 50+50 % in 2009 and 2010; P3 = 33+33+33 % in 2009, 2010 and 2011), plus a control without PG. The soil was sampled six months after the last PG application, in stratified layers to a depth of 0.8 m. Corn, wheat and soybean were sown between November 2011 and December 2012, and leaf samples were collected for analysis when at least 50 % of the plants showed reproductive structures. The application of PG increased Ca2+ concentrations in all sampled soil layers and the soil pH between 0.2 and 0.8 m, and reduced the concentrations of Al3+ in all layers and of Mg2+ to a depth of 0.6 m, without any effect of splitting the applications. The soil Ca/Mg ratio increased linearly to a depth of 0.6 m with the rates and were found to be higher in the 0.0-0.1 m layer of the P2 and P3 treatments than without splitting (P1). Sulfur concentrations increased linearly by application rates to a depth of 0.8 m, decreasing in the order P3>P2>P1 to a depth of 0.4 m and were higher in the treatments P3 and P2 than P1 between 0.4-0.6 m, whereas no differences were observed in the 0.6-0.8 m layer. No effect was recorded for K, P and potential acidity (H+Al). The leaf Ca and S concentration increased, while Mg decreased for all crops treated with PG, and there was no effect of splitting the application. The yield response of corn to PG rates was quadratic, with the maximum technical efficiency achieved at 6.38 Mg ha-1 of PG, while wheat yield increased linearly in a growing season with a drought period. Soybean yield was not affected by the PG rate, and splitting had no effect on the yield of any of the crops. Phosphogypsum improved soil fertility in the profile, however, Mg2+ migrated downwards, regardless of application splitting. Splitting the PG application induced a higher Ca/Mg ratio in the 0.0-0.1 m layer and less S leaching, but did not affect the crop yield. The application rates had no effect on soybean yield, but were beneficial for corn and, especially, for wheat, which was affected by a drought period during growth.

Effect of soil interacting herbicides on soybean nodulation in Balcarce, Argentina

Two trials were performed in Balcarce, Argentina (37° 45' LS; 58° 18' LW) during 1993-94, to assess the effect of eight herbicides applied individually or in tank mixtures, on nodule number, nodule dry weight, seed yield and N percent in seed in soybean Asgrow 3205, inoculated with Bradyrhizobium japonicum CB 1809. Individual herbicides and doses in kg ha-1 of a.i. were metribuzin (0.48), acetochlor (0.90), metolachlor (1), flumioxazin (0.075), trifluralin (0.96), imazaquin (0.20), imazethapyr (0.10) and chlorimuron ethyl (0.0125). The mixtures were metribuzin+acetochlor (0.48+0.9), flumioxazin+acetochlor (0.075+0.9), imazaquin+acetochlor (0.2+0.9), metribuzin+metolachlor (0.48+1.92), and flumioxazin+ metolachlor (0.075+1.92). A control treatment without herbicides was included. Both trials were laid out as randomized complete blocks with four replicates, on a loam illitic thermic petrocalcic Paleudoll, 5.7% organic matter (OM), 25% clay, 30.4 cmol kg-1 CEC. Nodules were sampled at V2 (second node), V6 (sixth node) and R5 (beginning seed) growth stages. Herbicides did not significantly affect the beginning of nodulation or nodule number and mass at R5, not either grain yield or N accumulation. This indicates lack of interference between soil interacting herbicides and N fixation in the high organic matter, loam soils of SE Buenos Aires province, even though a tendency in less number and dry weight of nodules was evident at the two latter growth stages.