Effect of UPDT polymer dosage on the establishment and survival of eucalyptus urograndis seedlings

• Grant number: 19/13588-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2020
• End date: December 31, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agricultural Engineering - Soil and Water Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Jarbas Honorio de Miranda
• Grantee: Yago Pereira da Silva
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The Brazilian forest sector has significant importance in society contributing to the generation of thousands of jobs and GDP growth. However, the recent climatic changes have affected their performance due to prolonged droughts in some regions. Such changes demanded that the forestry companies start planting even in conditions of low precipitation, making it necessary to practice the irrigation of seedlings in the field. In this sense, technologies such as the absorbent polymers, in this case, UPDT (United Phosphorus Drought Technology), appear to increase the survival rate of the seedlings, reduce replanting costs and nitrogen losses due to leaching. In this way the research has as objective: a) evaluate the effect of different doses of UPDT in the establishment of seedlings of Eucalyptus urograndis; b) evaluate its influence on the distribution of water in the soil and its nitrogen absorption capacity and c) applicate computational modeling (Hydrus model) to verify the distribution of soil moisture and nitrogen concentration in the soil profile. For that, 32 E. urograndis seedlings will be planted in randomly distributed pots in a greenhouse, using two different soils (clay and sand soil), applying 1.0 and 2.0 g cm-3 of UPDT and varying the irrigation water (1L and 3L) in 4 replicates (2x2x2x4). Another 16 seedlings, the witnesses, will receive the same treatments and repetitions, except the doses of UPDT polymer (2x2x4) totaling 48 vessels. In each vessel, two tensiometers and two solution extractors at 15 and 30 cm depth will be installed in order to monitor the soil moisture and to observe the UPDT's ability to absorb the nitrogen of the solution. The HYDRUS 1D model will be used to verify the influence of the UPDT by simulating the water distribution in soil profile. (AU)