Biomass production and morphogenesis of signal grass grown under nitrogen levels or intercropped with legumes

Abstract

It was evaluated biomass production and morphogenetic of Brachiaria decumbens monocrop and fertilized with nitrogen chemical fertilizers or intercropped with Stylosanthes guianensis or Calopogonium muconoides. The design was a randomized with five treatments (Brachiaria decumbens unfertilized, fertilized with 50 and 100kg/ha of nitrogen, and intercropped with legumes Stylosanthes guianensis or Calopogonium muconoides) with three replicate. Line spacing of 0.4m was used for intercropped plots and legumes were sown between rows of signal grass. Significant differences among treatments for yield traits total dry mass, leaf dry mass and dry mass of stems, and Brachiaria decumbens fertilized with 100kg/ha of nitrogen and associated with Stylosanthes guianensis were the holders of higher means. There was no significant difference for the characteristic leaf elongation rate, stem elongation and tiller number of plants of signal grass fertilized with 50 and 100kg of nitrogen and signal grass in intercropped with Stylosanthes guianensis. For the characteristics appearance rate and survival rate of tillers, Brachiaria decumbens treatments fertilized with 100kg/ha of nitrogen and intercropped with Stylosanthes guianensis were those with the highest averages. Nitrogen fertilization increased biomass production and the morphogenesis of signal grass, however the use of Stylosanthes guianensis promoted the same effect as chemical fertilizers.