Potassium nutrition in the first and second ratoon sugarcane grown in an Oxisol by a conservationist system

• Autor(a) principal: Flores, Rilner Alves
• Data de Publicação: 2014
• Outros Autores: Prado, Renato de Mello [UNESP], Pancelli, Marcio Alexandre [UNESP], Almeida Junior, Hilario [UNESP], Moda, Leandro Rosatto [UNESP], Montes Nogueira Borges, Bernardo Melo [UNESP], Souza Junior, Jonas Pereira de [UNESP]
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UNESP
• Texto Completo: http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-58392014000100013; http://hdl.handle.net/11449/113237
• topic: Plant nutrition; residues covering; Saccharum officinaruin

The presence of mulch on the soil surface after the mechanical harvesting of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) enhances the cycling of nutrients, especially K, which can decrease K fertilizer recommendations for the crop. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of K addition to an Oxisol, with an initial concentration 0.07 cmol(c) K kg(-1), in first and second ratoon (no-till) sugarcane cultures by a conservationist system, i.e. rational use of fertilizers, use of alternative inputs and especially the maintenance of residues in soil that was previously burned to facilitate cutting. The following K doses were tested: 0, 32.5, 65, 130, and 195 kg K2O ha(-1), arranged in a randomized block design with five replicates. Potassium content in the soil and in the plant, as well as the yield and the quality of stalks were evaluated. Soil K application increased K concentration in soil and plant, and was reflected in the prodUction of stalks, with higher production (87.5 and 107.5 t ha(-1)) with the use of 120 and 123 kg K2O ha(-1) in first and second ratoon sugarcane, respectively. At the first 2 yr it was not possible to reduce the K fertilization in ratoon. Therefore, with the introduction of the conservationist system there was an increase (20 t ha(-1)) at the second ratoon regarding the first one with the same applied rate.