NITROGEN MANAGEMENT IN SUGARCANE AND ITS INFLUENCE ON YIELD, PROFITABILITY AND LEACHING LOSSES
The excessive use of nitrogen (N) in sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) is a source of contamination for aquifers. The objective was to evaluate sugarcane yield, as well as profitability and amount of N leached resulting from the application of different split N doses. Three N doses (250, 200 and...
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Published in | Tropical and subtropical agroecosystems Vol. 13; no. 3 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán
01.11.2011
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | The excessive use of nitrogen (N) in sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) is a source of contamination for aquifers. The objective was to evaluate sugarcane yield, as well as profitability and amount of N leached resulting from the application of different split N doses. Three N doses (250, 200 and 150 kg ha-1) and three different application numbers (2, 3 and 4) were evaluated using a factorial design in randomized blocks. When the N dose was divided in three and four applications yields higher than 125 ton ha-1 were obtained. The greatest benefit-cost-ratio (1.8) resulted from using 150 kg ha-1 of N divided in three applications. The lowest N losses due to leaching were obtained using 150 kg ha-1 of N divided in three (16.8 kg ha-1) and four (15.4 kg ha-1) applications. Low N doses divided in three or four applications did not reduce sugarcane production; furthermore, it was more profitable and had a lower environmental impact by reducing N leaching. |
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ISSN: | 1870-0462 |