Abstract
Atmospheric nitrogen (N)-fixing tree species provide numerous benefits for the soil. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of soil management on root development and growth of trees in mixed stands of Eucalyptus urograndis (Eucalyptus urophylla S. T. Blak and Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill ex Maiden) and Acacia mangium Willd. These species were established in a randomized block design with split plots, subjected to minimum tillage and intensive tillage, monospecific stand of Eucalyptus urograndis (1) and Acacia mangium (2), in addition to the intercropping of these species with 50% of the density of the compound compartment of each species (3). Increments in diameter and height were measured up to 49 months after installation of the experiment and fine roots (<2 mm in diameter) were sampled at five different points in two sets of trees per plot up to 1.0 m depth (0-0.1, 0.1-0.3, 0.3-0.5, 0.5-1.0 m) using a steel probe with 0.045 m internal diameter. After 49 months, E. urograndis trees showed greater increments in height and diameter. Treatment 2 showed a higher fine root density (FRD) in all layers. The implementation of mixed stands intensified the FRD of E. urograndis in the 0-0.1 m layer. Effect on root development was observed only in the 0.1-0.3 m layer, where intensive tillage increased FRD in treatment 2. Thus, mixed stands can be an excellent alternative for forest production in areas subjected to soil degradation.
Highlights
Species of the genus Eucalyptus are the most planted in Brazil, corresponding in 2018 to 72.8% (5.7 million hectares) of the area occupied by forest plantations (IBÁ, 2019)
Under intensive tillage (Figure 1B), a significant difference can be observed from 30 days on, when E. urograndis trees regardless of the treatment had higher values than A. mangium trees
Albaqualf) of the site and low litter supply limited the growth of E. urograndis in both height and DBH
Summary
Species of the genus Eucalyptus are the most planted in Brazil, corresponding in 2018 to 72.8% (5.7 million hectares) of the area occupied by forest plantations (IBÁ, 2019) Characteristics such as fast growth, high productivity and adaptability to variable soil and climate conditions explain such a high. Nitrogen (N) availability is often a limiting factor for eucalyptus growth, which makes it necessary to search for methods that provide additional N contribution, ensuring high and sustainable production of the stand (LACLAU et al, 2010) In this context, mixed stands with atmospheric N-fixing tree legumes can provide better nutrient cycling and promote improvements in the quality of soil carbon stocks (KOUTIKA et al, 2014; SANTOS et al, 2016)
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