Abstract
African mahogany (Khaya senegalensis A. Juss) has been an important option to supply the increasing demand for noble forest products for the Brazilian furniture industry. In the present study, the objective was to evaluate the initial development of mahogany plants in response to different doses of zinc. The experiment was carried out inside a greenhouse, in the experimental area of the State University of Goias, Ipameri Campus, in 7 dm3 plastic containers, and using soil samples, identified as Dystrophic Red-Yellow Latosol (Oxisol), as substrate. The experimental design was completely randomized, with five treatments and five replications, totaling 25 experimental units. The treatments consisted of five Zn concentrations: 0, 2.5, 5, 10 and 20 mg dm-3, obtained by zinc sulfate fertilizer. At 150 days, the measurements of the plant height, the root crown diameter, dry matter mass of leaves, stem, root and total were evaluated. The tested increasing zinc doses did not promote increased plant growth. African mahogany presented low zinc requirement in the early stages of development for the studied edaphoclimatic condition, and no application of zinc via fertilizers was required. This fact may resulting from the natural concentration of 0.2 mg dm-3 of Zn in the used soil, which was enough to supply the nutritional demand of the plants in the first five months of development. Key words: Khaya senegalensis A. Juss, morphology, micronutrient.
Highlights
The treatments consisted of five Zn concentrations: 0, 2.5, 5, 10 and 20 mg dm-3, obtained by zinc sulfate fertilizer
The plants that did not receive supplementation with Zn presented no differences when compared with the plants supplied with the maximum Zn dose (20 mg dm -3)
Plants subjected to the maximum dose (20 mg dm-3) showed no symptoms of toxicity, and Zn excess did not affect plant growth
Summary
African mahogany presented low zinc requirement in the early stages of development for the studied edaphoclimatic condition, and no application of zinc via fertilizers was required This fact may resulting from the natural concentration of 0.2 mg dm-3 of Zn in the used soil, which was enough to supply the nutritional demand of the plants in the first five months of development. Juss) stands out among exotic timber species due to its good development in areas of predominantly humid tropical climate, besides its ability for adapting to subtropical climate regions For this reason, among noble wood species, it is the exotic tree presenting the best growth in the Cerrado, so the reforestation companies are interested in this species. The adequate supply of these nutrients is a key point for plant growth and development, including for forest species
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