Morphogenesis of digit grass submitted to nitrogen fertilization

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the morphogenetic, structural and productive characteristics of digit grass (Digitaria eriantha) submitted to nitrogen fertilization from January to May 2014. Five nitrogen doses were evaluated: 0, 100, 200, 300 and 500 kg/ha. A randomized block design with four replicates was used. Nitrogen fertilization did not influence the final leaf length, leaf senescence rate, number of live leaves per tiller, plant height, or leaf:stem ratio of digit grass. The leaf emergence and elongation rates, tiller population density and forage, leaf stem and dead material accumulation rates were influenced by the nitrogen doses, fitting a quadratic equation in which the highest nitrogen dose applied increased these rates, with the maximum rates being reached at doses of 300 to 400 kg/ha. The nitrogen doses exerted a negative quadratic effect on the phyllochron and leaf lifespan, in which these rates decreased with increasing nitrogen dose, reaching minimum values at doses of 300 to 400 kg/ha according to the respective equations. The stem elongation rate increased linearly with increasing nitrogen dose. Fertilization increases the tissue renewal and productivity of digit grass. The improvement in the productive characteristics of digit grass reaches maximum values at nitrogen doses of about 300 kg/ha.

Keywords

• Digitaria eriantha
• ecofisiologia vegetal
• manejo
• produção de forragem.