Abstract
ABSTRACT Biomass sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] is a very promising renewable source to produce energy obtained by cogeneration and fermentation processes. However, some aspects of the fertilizer management for this crop should be better understood. This study aimed to determine the accumulation progress of dry matter and macro and micronutrients in phenological stages of the biomass sorghum (Palo Alto 2562) crop, as well as to establish the accumulation order. The experiment was performed in a randomized block design, with four replicates. In order to determine the dry matter and nutrient accumulation curves, the plants were sampled in nine phenological stages (V1, V3, V5, V7, V9, V11, booting, flowering and harvest). Dry matter and N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn accumulations were analyzed. The maximum dry matter accumulation was 24,853 kg ha-1. K was the nutrient absorbed in the highest amount (447 kg ha-1), what demonstrates the high capacity of the plant to absorb this nutrient. N was the second most accumulated nutrient by the plant (289 kg ha-1) and its absorption pattern suggests that it should be supplied up to the V7 stage. It was also possible to conclude that the order of extraction and accumulation of macro and micronutrients for the biomass sorghum crops is: K > N > Ca > Mg > S > P > Fe > Zn > Mn > Cu.
Highlights
In the last years, the demand for electricity in Brazil has increased, mainly due to the intensive installation of new industries in the São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso and Goiás states (May et al 2013)
The accumulation of total dry matter was slow in the initial stages, precisely up to 35 days after emergence (DAE)
The accumulation of dry matter increased significantly up to 68 DAE (Figure 2), close to the booting stage, when the rates returned to stabilize at a lower level
Summary
The demand for electricity in Brazil has increased, mainly due to the intensive installation of new industries in the São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso and Goiás states (May et al 2013). The Alternative Energy Sources Incentive Program (Proinfa) was created to meet this scenario and the demographic progress in Brazil, aiming at developing the production of plant biomass to be used as raw material for electricity generation. In this context, biomass sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] is a crop that has been highlighted for this purpose (Castro et al 2015). Biomass sorghum is a C4 plant of tropical origin and with a high efficiency in dry and marginal environments (Amaducci et al 2016) Unlike alternative crops such as energy cane and elephant grass, its propagation is performed by seeds, what is an advantage, since it allows the use of seeders in their implantation, guaranteeing agility and homogeneity in the field (Silva et al 2017). Its cultivation is done almost exclusively for the supply of raw material to generate energy by direct combustion in power plants and to produce second generation bioethanol (Campi et al 2016, Serra et al 2017)
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