08.08.2015   BIOMASS NOW - CULTIVATION AND UTILIZATION

Development

Three long term assays were developed during December 4, 1999 to October 10, 2005 to complete this study as following:

The experiments were carried out in Piracicaba, state of Sao Paulo, Brazil (22o42′ S, 47o38′ W, and 560 m a. s.l). The soil, classified as an Arenic Hapludult, and a Typic Paleudult, was chemically characterized at different depths after cutting the green manure crop, before the sugarcane first planting. The soil was acidic and had low amounts of nutrients (Table 1), typical of many sugarcane growing areas.

Total monthly rainfall and local temperature were measured at the meteorological station near the experimental site (Figure 1).

Soil characteristics*

Arenic Hapludult

Typic Paleudult

0.0-0.2

0.2-0.4

0.0-0.2

0.2-0.4

Soil depth, m

pH (0.01mol l-1)

4.1

4.0

5.5

5.5

O. M. (g dm-3)

26

22

20

19

P (mg dm-3)

3

14

13

10

K (mmolc dm-3)

0.7

0.5

0.6

0.4

Ca (mmolc dm-3)

7

6

33

29

Mg (mmolc dm-3)

6

5

21

19

H + Al (mmolc dm-3)

50

68

23

25

CEC (mmolc dm-3)

64

80

79

74

V %

22

14

68

64

*Adapted from [12 and 16]

Table 1. Soil chemical characteristics before sugarcane planting, in plots without green manure, at depths of 0.0-0.2 and 0.2-0.4 m.

image1

Figure 1. Climatological data of maximum and minimum annual average temperature, and annual average rainfall from December 1999 to December 2004 (experiment 1) adapted from [14].