Nutritional status of Eucalyptus plantation and chemical attributes of a Ferralsol amended with lime and copper plus zinc

• Published in: Forest ecology and management 2021-12, Vol.502, p.119742, Article 119742
• Main Authors: Florentino, Antonio Leite, Masullo, Liamara Santos, Ferraz, Alexandre de Vicente, Mateus, Nikolas de Souza, Monteleone, Rafael Casale Rossit, Pastoriza, Lucas Boff Buch, Rocha, José Henrique Tertulino, Alleoni, Luís Reynaldo Ferracciú, Lavres, José, Gonçalves, José Leonardo de Moraes
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Eucalyptus grandis; Forest nutrition and development; Leaf area index; Principal component analysis; Sequential extraction; Soil fertility
• ISSN: 0378-1127; 1872-7042
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2021.119742

[Display omitted] •Lime is recommended to Eucalyptus aimed to supply Ca and Mg contents to plant growth.•Lime increased pH of the topsoil in the first months after application.•In Eucalyptus plantation, high soil Cu and Zn contents were bound to organic matter fraction.•Lime increased Ca and Mg, while reduced Cu and Zn levels in Ferralsol and Eucalyptus grandis.•Copper plus zinc fertilization can improve plant growth when associated with liming. Brazil is a global reference in forest management for wood production (e.g., pulp and solid wood products), and large areas are planted mainly in acidic and poorly fertile soils, with a predominance of Eucalyptus species. Liming is widely adopted in acidic soils in humid tropical regions planted with Eucalyptus to increase the availability of some nutrients and supply Ca and Mg. However, liming decreases the availability of some micronutrients, such as Cu and Zn, depending on the lime content. Copper and Zn fertilization for Eucalyptus is usually intended to replace the amount of micronutrients extracted after wood harvesting. However, few studies have been carried out to investigate the combined effects of lime and Cu plus Zn application on forest plantations in tropical soils. Here, the effects of these factors on soil chemical-attributes, as well as nutrition, and growth performance of Eucalyptus grandis plantations were evaluated on a medium-textured Ferralsol. The stem volume yield improved after liming, regardless of the rate of application, and after Cu plus Zn fertilization. Liming increased soil pH and Ca and Mg availability and reduced Cu and Zn availability. Overall, liming reduced soil Cu and Zn contents in the residual-fraction, while increasing the fraction bound to organic-matter. High contents of Cu and Zn were linked to the organic-matter fraction in the soil under the Eucalyptus plantation. Eucalyptus trees grown in soils amended with lime had higher values for leaf area index and leaf Ca and Mg concentrations but showed reduced Cu and Zn concentrations. The combined application of lime and Cu plus Zn improved Eucalyptus growth, with the higher contribution of lime compared to Cu and Zn. In conclusion, the combined application of lime and Cu plus Zn is a useful strategy to provide balanced nutrition and optimize stem volume yields.