Nitrogenous fertilization of sugarcane in a soil with hydromorphy

Abstract

The element that sugarcane responds to more frequently is nitrogen. A deficiency of this element may decrease the agricultural yields, when applied below the rates the crop needs; and an over-abundance of this element causes smaller sucrose content in sugarcane juice. It is necessary to apply nitrogen fertilizers appropriately at the right time and in the right place. In a long-term (18-year) experiment on a Vertisol, where doses ranging from 0 until 250 kg of N.ha-1 were applied, the nitrogen fertilization revealed a positive effect on the agricultural yields of the 14 studied crops, during the first 3 cycles. And all the evaluated stumps responded constantly to the nitrogen fertilization. The rate of consumption was of 1.13 kg of N per ton of sugarcane produced, lower than the one accepted by the Cuban sugarcane growers (1.5 kg of N/t of sugarcane). The organic matter content benefitted where the element was applied, although its content increased in the soil over a long period of time. The objective of this research was to evaluate of the response of sugarcane when nitrogen fertilizers were applied to hydromorphic soils.

Keywords

• sugarcane
• nitrogenous fertilizer
• hydromorphy