Destino do nitrogênio (15N) do fertilizante em uma cultura de café / The fate of fertilizer nitrogen (15N) in a coffee crop

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2006

RESUMO

The coffee is one of the most important agribusiness products of Brazil and, although its management practices are already well defined, several cropping aspects still need a deeper understanding. Among these the nutrition of the coffee plant in respect to nitrogen is one of the main subjects needing more clarification. To contribute to this aspect, several experiments were carried out involving fertilizer application to a coffee crop, aiming for the establishment of a N balance in the soil-coffee-atmosphere system and better understand the N dynamics within the plant. Treatments consisted of 5 sub-plots (replicates) of 9 plants, the central three receiving 280 kg ha-1 N during the 1st year and 350 kg ha-1 N in the second. The fertilizer was 15N enriched ammonium sulphate, at a concentration of 2.072% 15N atom excess. Shoot dry matter was monitored every 60 days scarifying one whole plant of each treatment, collected outside the isotopic sub-plots of 9 plants. Isotopically labeled plants were sampled cutting one branch containing all desired plant parts, in roler to measure 15N enrichment and total N concentration. Root and soil were sampled only at the end of each year, in the 0-0.2, 0.2-0.4, 0.4-0.6, 0.6-0.8, 0.8-1.0 m layers. To quantify soil volatilization from fertilizer N a semi-open N-NH3 static collector was used. To estimate N leaching below the root zone, considering the 0-1.0 m soil layer, soil solution N concentration and 15N enrichment were obtained from soil solution extractors data. Shoot fertilizer N absorbtion reached 71.3% during the first year, with a reduction to 42.9% just before harvest, due to N translocation to roots, leaf and fruit drop, and N losses to the atmosphere, indicating the high efficiency of the application of the ammonium sulphate. At the end of both yearly experimental periods, the recovery of the fertilizer N by the shoot was 19.1%. Roots accumulated 9.4% and in the soil 12.6% of the fertilizer N were still present. Litter accumulated 11.2% and continues to be an important N source. Bean export was relatively low, well explained for a coffee crop under formation. Leaching and volatilization losses were of the order of 2.3 and 1.6%, respectively, however, reabsorption of volatilized ammonia reached 43.3% of the applied amount. To close the balance after two years, 18.2% of the fertilizer N were not recovered, considered to consist of non evaluated forms of N (shoot losses of NH3, roots below 1 m, sampling errors, etc.)

ASSUNTO(S)

absorção de fertilizante coffee plant cafeeiro volatilization fertilizer absorption stable isotope isótopo estável volatilização

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