DEVELOPMENT AND MORPHOGENESIS OF MARANDU AND BASILISK BRACS WITH DIFFERENT DOSES OF UREA

Abstract

Mineral nutrition, especially nitrogen furnishing is fundamental for plants production responses. On this research the ain was to evaluate the effect of fertilization using urea as nitrogen source in the development and morphogenesis of Urochloa brizantha cv. Marandu and Urochloa decumbens cv. Basilisk forage grasses. The experiment was conducted at private area at Santa Ernestina/SP. The experimental design was complete randomized (CRD) and factorial scheme 2x5 with five treatments: T1- 0, T2- 50, T3- 100, T4- 150 and T5- 200kg N/ha. The seeds were sown in plastic bags (2L) and every two weeks, plant height (cm) and tiller number were recordd. Seventy four days after germination the following parameters were evatuated: fresh mass (g) of leaves, of culms, of roots and senescent parts, root length (cm) and culm:leaf ratio. The data analysis was made using Tukey´s test (5% of probability). The nitrogen fertilization was positively related with mass production of foliar lamina, culms and roots of plants submitted up to 100 kg/ha of nitrogen. Average number of tillers and plant height didn´t present differences among treatments on the four dates of evaluation, but Marandu cultivar presented better culm:leaf ratio than Basilisk cultivar. Urea as nitorgen source on fertilization of forage grasses U. brizantha cv. Marandu and U.decumbens cv. Basilisk provided development of the forage plants, with no effect on morphogenesis.