Optimizing Nitrogen Fertilizer Rates at Distinct In-season Application Moments in Sugarcane

Author(s)

Quassi de Castro, Sergio Gustavo ^[1] ; Graziano Magalhaes, Paulo Sergio ^[2] ; Quassi de Castro, Saulo Augusto ^[3] ; Kolln, Oriel Tiago ^[4] ; Junqueira Franco, Henrique Coutinho ^[5]

Affiliation

^[1] Brazilian Ctr Res Energy & Mat CNPEM, Brazilian Biorenewables Natl Lab LNBR, Giuseppe Maximo Scolfaro St 10000, BR-13083100 Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Estadual Campinas, Sch Agr Engn, UNICAMP, Candido Rondon Ave 501, BR-13083875 Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Luiz de Queiroz Coll Agr, Padua Dias Ave 11, BR-13418900 Piracicaba, SP - Brazil

^[4] Northern Parana State Univ UENP, Campus Luiz Meneghel Roadway BR 369, Km 54, BR-86660000 Bandeirantes, PR - Brazil

^[5] Cropman Agr Innovat, Adelaide Daniel de Almeida St 170, BR-13080661 Campinas, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PLANT PRODUCTION; NOV 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

The use of best fertilizer-management practices is one way to increase crop nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and to reduce environmental impacts. In sugarcane crops, due to the harvest season extension in southeast Brazil (April-November) N fertilization must be adjusted to optimize the N availability during the crop development. Our objective was to assess the influence of N-fertilizer application time and rates on sugarcane and sugar yield, sucrose content, N uptake, and NUE on fields harvested in distinct period (early, middle, and end) of sugarcane harvest season in Brazil. Three experiments were carried out with the same design (split plot) and evaluated for 1st and 2nd ratoon. The main plots consisted in different N-fertilizer application time (0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 days after harvest-DAH), while the split plots were five N rates (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 kg N ha(-1)). N-fertilizer application time influenced the sugarcane and/or sugar yield at three sites, which the best time to apply N was between 0-60 DAH, in early and 30-90 DAH, in middle period of the harvest season. The N rates that afforded the highest sugarcane yield were 130 (early), 140 (middle) and 100 kg N ha(-1) (end of the harvest season). N-fertilizer application time and rate adjustment optimized N uptake by the sugarcane stalk, reducing 20% on N requirement in early and middle harvest season, and increasing NUE in sugarcane ratoon (10%). This proposed new N management in sugarcane ratoon considers the application time and N rate. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 13/01417-2 - MANAGEMENT OF NITROGEN FERTILIZATION IN SUGARCANE: THE SEARCH TO FIND OUT ALTERNATIVES TO INCREASE THIS EFFICIENCY
• Grantee: Sérgio Gustavo Quassi de Castro
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate