TITLE:
Green Fertilization Enhances the Photosynthetic Performance and the Growth of Leguminous Trees for Restoration Plantation in Central Amazon
AUTHORS:
Roberto Kirmayr Jaquetti, José Francisco de Carvalho Gonçalves, João Baptista Silva Ferraz, Marciel J. Ferreira, Ulysses Moreira dos Santos Junior, Claudivan Feitosa de Lacerda
KEYWORDS:
Photosynthesis, Chlorophyll a Fluorescence, Chloroplastid Pigment Contents, Dipteryx odorata, Inga edulis
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.5 No.16,
July
30,
2014
ABSTRACT:
The leguminous tree species Dipteryx
odorata (Aubl.) Willd. and Inga
edulis Mart. were grown in the field to reforest a degraded area. To
investigate the photosynthetic responses and the initial growth of Amazonian forest species under fertilization,
the study species were subjected to different treatments: T1 =
unfertilized-control, T2 = chemical fertilization, T3 = green fertilization and
T4 = green and chemical fertilization. D.
odorata showed the highest absolute growth rates in height under treatments
T4 (10.2 cm·month-1) and T2 (12.2 cm·month-1). I. edulis exhibited the best performance
for this same parameter in T4 (23.0 cm·month-1). The highest
photosynthesis values (Pn)
for both D. odorata (13.1 μmol·m-2·s-1) and I. edulis (20.6 μmol·m-2·s-1) were found in T4.
The two species also showed the highest performance index values (PIABS)
under T4 (D. odorata = 2.9 and I. edulis = 5.2). Our results suggest
that the combination of green and chemical fertilization was the most effective
of the four treatments evaluated for improving the photosynthetic performance
and the growth of both species during the initial establishment of the species
in a degraded area.