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

Abstract

Given the lack of recommendations for the fertilization of Eucalyptus clones in the second production cycle, the effects of fertilizer rates and the number of sprouts per strain in terms of the soil chemical attributes, biometric characteristics, and the concentrations of N and P in the leaves and in the litter of Eucalyptus L'Hér. in the Brazilian Cerrado were evaluated. The experimental design was a randomized block with four replicates, arranged in a 2 × 4 factorial scheme: one or two sprouts per strain; four fertilizer rates (0, 50, 100, or 200% of 200 kg ha −1 of the formula 06-30-06 + 1.5% Cu + 1% Zn) applied immediately after sprout definition. The option of one sprout per strain yielded higher contents of organic matter (K, S, B, and Mn) in the 0.20-0.40-m layer, the leaf chlorophyll index, the diameter at breast height, and the height of the Eucalyptus 44 months after the definition of sprouts. However, N and P leaf concentrations and the wood volume did not differ as a function of the sprout numbers. The fertilizer dosage did not influence the wood volume, even in sandy soil with low fertility. Approximately 86% of the wood volume was obtained from the supply of soil and root nutrient reserves and 14% of this productivity is due to fertilization minerals. The adequate fertilization in the first cycle of the Eucalyptus supplies almost the entire nutritional demand of the forest in the second production cycle.

Bidirectional Nitrogen Transfer and Plant Growth in a Mixed Plantation of N2-Fixing Species and Eucalyptus urophylla × E. grandis under Different N Applications

“…However, we confirmed the substantial bidirectional transfer of N occurred between the litters using experiments under field conditions, which showed the net transfer of N from high-N to low-N litter [13]. This is consistent with results obtained by Godoi et al, in which it was found that the N leaf concentration correlated positively with the N in the Eucalyptus litter under field conditions [61]. This result suggested that transferred N in Eucalyptus (% Ndft) would be increased in the field due to the increase the absorption N from the leguminous plants' litter, while litter and microbes had smaller effects on N transfer in our experiment compared with those in natural and commercial areas [13,62].…”

Residual Influence of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium Doses on Soil and Eucalyptus Nutrition in Coppice

“…Similarly, Godoi et al [7], in their research on the second production cycle of eucalyptus in the Brazilian Cerrado region, verified that mineral fertilization (doses of formula 06-30-06 + 1% Ca + 3% S + 1% Mg + 1.5% Cu + 1% Zn) affects the chemical attributes of the soils at depths of 0-1.00 m and largely provides higher P and B contents.…”

“…Fertilization of eucalyptus is one of the most important strategies that contributes 30-50% of the gains in wood productivity in forest sites [6]. It is also worth noting that approximately 86% of the eucalyptus wood volume in the second cycle can be obtained from the supply of soil and root nutrient reserves while 14% of productivity was obtained due to mineral fertilization [7]. Therefore, proper fertilization in the first cycle of eucalyptus can fulfill almost all the nutritional demands of the second production cycle in the Cerrado region.…”