Mitigation of Mombasa Grass ( Megathyrsus maximus ) Dependence on Nitrogen Fertilization as a Function of Inoculation with Azospirillum brasilense

• Published in: Revista Brasileira de Ciência do Solo Vol. 43
• Main Authors: Rubson da Costa Leite, Antonio Clementino dos Santos, José Geraldo Donizetti dos Santos, Robson da Costa Leite, Leonardo Bernardes Taverny de Oliveira, Mariangela Hungria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Ciência do Solo
• Subjects: biological nitrogen fixation; growth-promoting microbes; inoculant; tropical pasture
• ISSN: 1806-9657
• DOI: 10.1590/18069657rbcs20180234

ABSTRACT Using biological inputs to improve the efficiency of nitrogen fertilizers represents an alternative for the cultivation of grasses in tropical regions. Azospirillum brasilense is a species of plant growth promoting bacteria widely studied and used in inoculants. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the performance of Mombasa grass ( Megathyrsus maximus ) in association with A. brasilense and nitrogen (N) fertilization. The study was conducted under field conditions in Araguaína-Tocantins State, between December 2017 and May 2018. The treatments were arranged in randomized blocks, in a 5 × 2 factorial arrangement, with five doses of N fertilization (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 kg ha-1) combined with two inoculation treatments (inoculated and non inoculated), in four replicates. For the number of tillers and root production, the inoculation efficiency varied as a function of the supplied N doses. However, the percentage of leaf N was higher for inoculated plants regardless of the application of nitrogen. In the absence of nitrogen fertilization, it was possible to increase forage production by up to 36 % with inoculation.