Growth and water use efficiency of young Brazil nut plants on degraded area subjected to fertilization

Abstract

This work objectives to analyze the absolute growth rate (AGR), leaf gas exchange and leaf water potential (ΨW) of young Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa Humb. & Bonpl.) plants subjected to chemical and green fertilization treatments, compared with treatment without fertilization, aiming the restoration of a degraded area in central of Amazonia rain forest. The applied treatments were: control (without fertilization), chemical (Ouromag®) and green fertilization (fragments of branches and leaves). The diameter and height AGR in the treatment with green fertilization was about 12 times higher than the control. The ΨW reached maximum value of -0.19 MPa at noon, and minimum of -2.8 MPa at midday, both in green fertilization treatment. The intrinsic water-use efficiency (WIUE) did not differed significantly between the treatments, unlike the treatments with green and chemical fertilization increased the water-use efficiency (WUE) up to 66 and 38%, respectively, when compared to the control. Therefore, we concluded that the fertilization treatments, especially the green one, due to improvements in the use of which provides primary resources, e.g. water, play a key role in the growth of Bertholletia excelsa plants in the young phase of forest plantations on degraded area in Amazonia.