Potassium application to the cover crop prior to cotton planting as a fertilization strategy in sandy soils
Abstract Urochloa grasses are used as cover crops in tropical cropping systems under no-till to improve nutrient cycling. We hypothesized that potassium (K) applied to ruzigrass (Urochloa ruziziensis) grown before cotton in a sandy soil could be timely cycled and ensure nutrition, yield and quality...
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| Autores principales: | , , |
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| Formato: | article |
| Lenguaje: | EN |
| Publicado: |
Nature Portfolio
2020
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://doaj.org/article/1d79da2240ea42eabb091ae377df2024 |
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| Sumario: | Abstract Urochloa grasses are used as cover crops in tropical cropping systems under no-till to improve nutrient cycling. We hypothesized that potassium (K) applied to ruzigrass (Urochloa ruziziensis) grown before cotton in a sandy soil could be timely cycled and ensure nutrition, yield and quality of cotton cultivars with no need to split K application. Field experiments were performed with different K managements, applied to ruzigrass, to cotton grown after grass and without grass, or split as it is done conventionally. No yield differences were observed on K fertilized treatments. At 0 K, cotton yields were low, but they increased by 16% when ruzigrass was grown before, and short fiber content was lower when there was more K available. Ruzigrass grown before cotton increased micronaire as much as the application of 116 kg ha−1 of K without the grass. Fiber maturity was higher when K was applied to the grass or split in the grass and sidedressed in cotton. Growing ruzigrass before cotton allows for early K fertilization, i.e., application of all the fertilizer to de grass, since the nutrient is recycled, and cotton K nutrition is not harmed. Eventually K rates could be reduced as a result of higher efficiency of the systems. |
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