Application of micronutrients, cobalt and sulphur on seed yield of Stylosanthes in a cerrado soil

Abstract

The effect of micronutrients, cobalt and sulphur on seed yield of Stylosanthes guianensis (Aubl.) SW. var. Pauciflora, cv. Bandeirante, was evaluated in a field experiment conducted in a Red-Yellow Latosol (Typyc Acrustox). The experimental design was a fractional factorial 1/2 of 2⁶, in two incomplete blocks, with sixteen treatments in each block. The following rates (kg/ha), and elements were used: 0 and 1 of B; 0 and 0.4 of Co; 0 and 2 of Cu; 0 and 40 of S; 0 and 0.25 of Mo and 0 and 6 of Zn. Considering the effect of each nutrient per se, copper and sulphur were the only ones that showed significant effects. The application of copper increased the seed yield in 8.5 and 40.1 kg/ha, in the first and in the second harvest, respectively. The application of sulphur increased the seed yield in 7.9 kg/ha, only in the second harvest. In this second harvest there was also a significant effect of the interaction Cu x S on the seed yield.