NUTRITIONAL LIMITATIONS IN MULTI-STRATA AGROFORESTRY SYSTEM WITH NATIVE AMAZONIAN PLANTS

A multi-strata agroforestry system is mentioned as the most promising option for the sustainable agricultural in infertile upland soils of Central Amazonia. However, studies showed that the sustainability of this land use does not exist. The aim of this work was to evaluate the soil fertility and nutritional state of native Amazon plant species cultivated in a Xanthic Ferralsol (dystrophic Yellow Latosol) in an agroforestry system. The experimental area consisted of four plots of 0.25 hectares each. Native plants of the Amazonian region were used, five of them timber species {Hevea brasiliensis (rubber), Ceiba pentandra (kapok), Jacaranda copaia (jacaranda), Buchenavia huber (cuiarana) and Trattinicka burserifolia (breu); two palm species {Bactris gasipaes (peach palm) and Euterpe oleracea (assai); and five fruit-bearing species {Rollinia mucosa (biriba), Theobroma cacao (cacao), Theobroma grandiflorum (cupuassu), Couma sorbilis (sorva) and Myrciaria dubia (camu-camu). The results showed that plants from the same ecosystem with tolerance to acid soils and poor nutrient contents differ in their nutrient uptake efficiency and nutritional requirements, indicating limits on the species combinations that can be used in agroforestry systems of an upland soil of Central Amazonian.