Efeitos da extrusão de H+/OH- em plantas de feijão crescidas com diferentes fontes de nitrogênio sobre o início da formação de nódulos radiculares

Abstract

Bean plants can get nitrogen from soil organic matter, fertilizer or biological fixation of atmospheric N2 (BNF). However, the biological process in this culture has shown low efficiency under field conditions. As a result, many farmers do not inoculate the seeds with efficient strains of rhizobia, being fertilizer the main source of N to this culture. Besides the absence of inoculation, high doses of N applied to the soil inhibit nodulation and BNF. However, the reasons for this inhibition are not fully understood, especially because the N is uptaked as nitrate (NO3 -) and ammonium (NH4 +). Whereas the rhizosphere of plants grown with nitrate is alkalized and ammonium is acidified, the aim of this study was evaluate the effect of pH changes in rhizosphere (pHR), caused by the metabolism of these N sources, in start of nodules formation. The experiments were conducted in growth chamber with average brightness of 400 lux, photoperiod of 12/12 hours (light/dark) and temperature 25°C ± 2ºC. Plants were grown in pots with sand, soils with low (8%) and medium (25%) clay content and nutrient solution. In the 1st test (salinity) was found that ammonium had the greatest increase in electrical conductivity of the sand (EC), obtained with a 60 KgN ha-1 the value of 1.655 mS cm-1 with ammonium and 1.301 mS cm-1 with nitrate. In the following assay were compared two contrasting cultivars in capacity of nodulate, which confirmed the high (Ouro Negro) and low (Rio Tibagi) capability. As among cultivars were not significant differences in the values of pHR, in others experiments was evaluated Ouro Negro only. In this assay and in others ammonium was the source of N with more capacity of rhizosphere acidify and inhibit nodulation. Through regression analysis for each N source, was given the dose of total inhibition of nodulation (critical level), pHR at this dose and the dose which was 80% of maximum nodulation (dose of coexistence). In general, was verified the lowest doses of critical level and coexistence using ammonium than with nitrate. In the sand test (Ouro Negro sampled 20 DAE) for ammonium and nitrate the doses of coexistence was 13 and 58 KgN ha-1 and the values of pHR was 3,95 and 5,59, respectively. In test with different soil types (20 DAE), the dose of coexistence was lower with ammonium than nitrate, being in soil with lower clay content 18 e 41 KgN ha-1 and soil with higher clay content 15 e 27 KgN ha-1, respectively. The values of pHR for ammonium and nitrate were 4,69 and 6,08 in soil with lower clay content and 4,23 and 4,63 in soil with higher clay content, respectively. In this test the neutralizers alleviated acidification of the rhizosphere and nodulation was optimized. In test with leaf application of N, ammonium also more acidify the rhizosphere and promoted less nodulation (pHR 4,15 and 14 nodules plant-1) compared to nitrate (pHR 5,03 and 27 nodules plant-1). In the 6th experiment (20 DAE) the dose of 115 kgVO4 ha-1 allowed that highest dose of ammonium did not make changes in pHR, allowing also the dose of coexistence of 46 KgN ha-1 for ammonium as source of N. In all tests, the highest N rates from all sources completely inhibited nodulation, suggesting that these doses were the occurrence of others inhibiting factors independent of pH and not measured.