Atributos edáficos e adubação nitrogenada em cana de açúcar em tabuleiros costeiros: respostas a sistemas de colheita com e sem queima da palhada

Abstract

To evaluate the impacts of trash management on soil quality and sugarcane production in the Brazilian region of coastal tableland three studies were conducted and are presented in distinct chapters. In the first chapter, a literature review, the results of research with sugarcane and changes in biological, chemical and physical soil properties, in response to trash management and their relationship with soil quality, are presented. In general, the data suggest that harvesting without burning affects positively the soil properties and improves soil quality. However, the studies are not sufficient to inform about the effect of mechanical harvesting without burning of trash in the tableland soils. In the second chapter they were evaluated the effect of N fertilization of green sugarcane on the stalk productivity, the trash accumulation, the relationship between the number and weight of stalks, the extraction and accumulation of nutrients in the fresh stalks and trash, and the sugarcane technological quality. This study was conducted in the LASA distillery, in Linhares municipality, Espírito Santo State, with ratoon cane, varieties RB86 7515 and RB91 8639, in a Xanthic Udult soil. The experiment was set in a randomized blocks design with the control (without N) and four treatments with N applied as ammonium sulphate (80, 100, 120, and 160 kg N ha-1) in four replicates. The N had a significant effect on stalks productivity. The relationship between the number and weight of stalks was significant for the dosages of 80 kg N ha-1 (both varieties) and 100 kg N ha-1 (only the RB91 8639 variety). There was significant effect of N rates on the cane technological quality only in the second cycle studied. The extractions of N, P and K were significant for the N levels. The third chapter is a simulation study conducted with the APSIM-Sugar cropping systems model, based on data from the log-term experiment (duration of 23 years) in the municipaliy of Linhares-ES. This study had as goal to investigate the impact of trash management after harvesting on sugarcane production and the long-term fate of N contained in trash. The objectives were: to investigate if the model was capable of reproducing the trends of the major N pools (cane yields and soil organic carbon) in the long term experiment; and using the parameterized model to evaluate how the relationship between N fertilizer and yield (and losses of N to the environment) varies with the trash management. The trash management systems conditions simulated were: retention of trash at harvest (100 %, GCTB); half retention of trash at harvest (50%); and burnt cane trash. The N fertilizer management system was simulated by varying N fertilizer application from 0 to 240 kg ha-1 (in 40 kg ha-1 increments) rates on the ratoon crops. The cane yield and soil organic C responded positively to the trash management systems (GCTB and half GCTB), but the magnitude of the response is dependent on N-fertilizer applied on crops. Half removal of trash might reduce the extent of yield increasing potential. When the trash deposition is a recent practice, additional N fertilizer is required by the crop, to avoid yield reduction caused by the N immobilization. The simulations also indicated that the average environmental losses of N were greater from trash retained systems for all rates on N fertilizer applied.