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-The objective of this work was to evaluate elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum.) genotypes for bioenergy production by direct biomass combustion. Five elephant grass genotypes grown in two different soil types, both of low fertility, were evaluated. The experiment was carried out at Embrapa Agrobiologia fi eld station in Seropédica, RJ, Brazil. The design was in randomized complete blocks, with split plots and four replicates. The genotypes studied were Cameroon, Bag 02, Gramafante, Roxo and CNPGL F06-3. Evaluations were made for biomass production, total biomass nitrogen, biomass nitrogen from biological fi xation, carbon/ nitrogen and stem/leaf ratios, and contents of fi ber, lignin, cellulose and ash. The dry matter yields ranged from 45 to 67 Mg ha -1 . Genotype Roxo had the lowest yield and genotypes Bag 02 and Cameroon had the highest ones. The biomass nitrogen accumulation varied from 240 to 343 kg ha -1. The plant nitrogen from biological fi xation was 51% in average. The carbon/nitrogen and stem/leaf ratios and the contents of fi ber, lignin, cellulose and ash did not vary among the genotypes. The fi ve genotypes are suitable for energy production through combustion.Index terms: Pennisetum purpureum, ash, agroenergy, biological nitrogen fi xation, genotype, lignin. Genótipos de capim-elefante para produção de bioenergia por combustão direta da biomassaResumo -O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar genótipos de capim-elefante (Pennisetum purpureum Schum.) quanto ao potencial para a produção de bioenergia por combustão direta da biomassa. Avaliaram-se cinco genótipos de capim-elefante, em dois solos com baixa fertilidade. Os experimentos foram conduzidos na estação experimental da Embrapa Agrobiologia, em Seropédica, RJ. O delineamento experimental foi o de blocos ao acaso, em parcelas subdivididas, com quatro repetições. Os genótipos estudados foram Cameroon, Bag 02, Gramafante, Roxo e CNPGL F06-3. Determinaram-se a produção de biomassa, o acúmulo de nitrogênio na biomassa, o nitrogênio da biomassa proveniente da fi xação biológica, as relações carbono/nitrogênio e talo/ folha, e os teores de fi bra, lignina, celulose e cinzas da biomassa. A produção de matéria seca variou de 45 a 67 Mg ha -1 . A menor produção foi do genótipo Roxo, e as maiores, dos genótipos Bag 02 e Cameroon. O nitrogênio total acumulado na matéria seca variou de 240 a 343 kg ha -1 . Em média, 51% do nitrogênio foram provenientes da fi xação biológica. As relações carbono/nitrogênio e talo/folha e os conteúdos de fi bra, lignina, celulose e cinzas não variaram entre os genótipos. Os cinco genótipos constituem materiais adequados para produção de energia pela queima.Termos para indexação: Pennisetum purpureum, cinzas, agroenergia, fi xação biológica do nitrogênio, genótipo, lignina.

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Resumo -O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a eficiência da inoculação de bactérias diazotróficas e da adubação nitrogenada, em duas variedades de cana-de-açúcar, cultivadas nas mesmas condições edafoclimáticas. O experimento foi conduzido durante os anos agrícolas de 2006/2007 e 2008/2009, em delineamento experimental de blocos ao acaso, com quatro repetições, instalado em março de 2006 em área de cultivo comercial, no Município de Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ. Os tratamentos foram: inoculação com bactérias diazotróficas, adubação com 120 kg ha -1 de N, e o controle sem inoculação e sem adubação com nitrogênio. As variedades de cana-de-açúcar avaliadas foram RB72454 e RB867515. O inoculante continha estirpes de cinco espécies de bactérias diazotróficas. Foram feitas avaliações quanto à produtividade de colmos frescos, ao acúmulo de matéria seca total, ao N total da parte aérea e quanto à abundância natural de 15 N do N disponível no solo e na cana-de-açúcar. As variedades apresentaram comportamentos distintos com os tratamentos, em que a RB867515 foi responsiva e a RB72454 não responsiva à inoculação e à adubação nitrogenada. Na variedade RB867515, o crescimento e o acúmulo de N total na parte aérea das plantas, promovidos pela inoculação, foram similares aos do tratamento com adubação nitrogenada.Termos para indexação: Saccharum, fixação biológica de nitrogênio, interação planta-bactéria. Agronomic evaluation of varieties of sugar cane inoculated with diazotrophic bacteria and fertilized with nitrogenAbstract -The objective of this work was to evaluate the efficiency of inoculation with diazotrophic bacteria and nitrogen fertilization, in two varieties of sugarcane grown under the same edaphic and climatic conditions. The experiment was carried out during the agricultural years 2006/2007 and 2008/2009, in a randomized block design with four replicates, installed in March 2006 in an area of commercial cultivation in Campos dos Goytacazes city, in Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. The treatments were: inoculation with diazotrophic bacteria, fertilization with 120 kg ha -1 N, and a control without inoculation and without nitrogen fertilization. The sugarcane varieties evaluated were RB72454 and RB867515. The inoculant was composed of five strains of diazotrophic bacteria. Evaluations were done for fresh stalk yield, total dry matter accumulation, total N of shoots, and 15 N natural abundance from available N in the soil and in sugarcane. The varieties performed differently to treatments, in which RB867515 was responsive and RB72454 unresponsive to inoculation and nitrogen fertilization. In the variety RB867515, growth and accumulation of total N in the shoots, promoted by inoculation, were similar to the ones in the treatment with N fertilization.

Current limitations on the use of conventional N fertilizers on sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) in Brazil require the search for alternative sources with adequate N use efficiency. Field experiments were conducted in Typic Hapludox (TH) and Typic Eutrustox (TE) soils in São Paulo State, Brazil, to evaluate the dynamics of soil mineral N, N uptake, and sugarcane yield in response to N amendments including Ajifer‐8, ammonium chloride, ammonium nitrate, calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN), and urea applied on sugarcane ratoon at 100 kg N ha−1. The experiments were arranged in randomized complete block design, with four replications. The treatments were applied at 105 and 122 days after harvest of plant cane (DAH) in the TH and TE soil. Ajifer‐8 exhibited higher NH4+–N availability in the 0‐ to 20‐cm soil layer 139 DAH in the TH soil. Ammonium nitrate and CAN resulted in the highest NO3−–N values in the soil within the same period. In the TE soil, the soil mineral N content remained unaltered during all of the sampling dates. The high values of accumulated N uptake by sugarcane in both soils indicates that a good portion of the soil mineral N was take up by the plants. The Ajifer‐8 and CAN fertilizers resulted in higher sugarcane yield in both experiments, and may be used as replacement for conventional N sources. In contrast, the use of ammonium chloride resulted in low values of soil mineral N and accumulated N uptake.