Limestone and phosphogypsum are key drivers of eucalypt production in the highly weathered soils of Brazil

• Published in: Plant and soil 2024-03, Vol.496 (1-2), p.221-241
• Main Authors: de Sousa, Rodrigo Nogueira, da Silva, Bernardo Amorim, da Costa, Vanderlayne Verônica, da Silva Teixeira, Rafael, Valadares, Samuel Vasconcelos, da Silva, Ivo Ribeiro, Venegas, Victor Hugo A., Vergütz, Leonardus
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acidic soils; Acidity; Agriculture; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Calcium ions; Clay; Clay soils; Ecology; Life Sciences; Limestone; Magnesium; Phosphogypsum; Plant nutrition; Plant Physiology; Plant Sciences; Research Article; Residual effects; Root development; Sandy soils; Soil amendment; Soil chemistry; Soil fertility; Soil Science & Conservation; Soil types; Soils; Tropical environments; Tropical soils; Wood
• ISSN: 0032-079X; 1573-5036
• DOI: 10.1007/s11104-022-05801-x

Aims We aimed to understand how eucalypt forests planted in highly weathered natural low fertile soils of the Brazilian Cerrado would benefit from the use of limestone (+ L) and phosphogypsum (+ G) applied banded or broadcast and incorporated or non-incorporated. Methods The treatments applied here can be grouped into three, as follows: Group 1 – consists of three treatments that did not receive any limestone or phosphogypsum (control); Group 2 – consists of four treatments with + L only (different ways of applying + L); and Group 3 – consisting of two treatments including + L + G combined (different ways of applying + L + G). Results The + L banded (Ba) and incorporated ( I ) (+ LBa I – Group 2) provided the greatest residual effect on soil chemical characteristics, increasing Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ availability and decreasing exchangeable and active acidity, regardless of the soil type. Consequently, an increase of 39.4% (~ 91.4 m 3  ha −1 ) and 16.7% (~ 47 m 3  ha −1 ) of eucalypt wood volume was obtained in the sandy and clay soils, respectively, when compared to the controls. However, when + L and + G were combined (Group 3) it increased S-SO 4 2− concentrations, improving root development in the deeper layers. This resulted in the highest eucalypt productions with 58% (122.7 m 3  ha −1 ) and 29% (94.7 m 3  ha −1 ) more wood than the control in the sandy and clay soils, respectively. Conclusions The application of + L and + G increased wood production of eucalypt planted forests in highly weathered and low fertile tropical soils due to better plant nutrition and soil amelioration.