GROWTH AND VEGETATIVE DEVELOPMENT OF SOYBEAN PLANTS IN SOIL TYPE CONCRECTIONARY PETRIC PLINTHOSOL.

The central-north of Brazil is a region with strong presence of concrectionary soil, whose supposed disadvantages from the agronomic point of view, do not prevent their use in agriculture. However, more in-depth information about the behavior of crops of agricultural interest cultivated in this type of soil is few. Due to the observation of agricultural stands in this type of soil, it was hypothesized that plinthite ironstones concretions negatively interfere in the development of crops of agro-economic interest. The objective was to verify the growth and development of soybean cultivated in soil with the presence and absence of plinthite ironstones. Concretionary Petric Plinthosol were collected in the 0-0,20 m layer and part of the soil was sieved so that concretions larger than 3.10 mm in diameter were removed, thus leaving two treatments, soil with and without plinthite ironstones. Morphological evaluations were performed during their phenological phase. Soybean grown in soil without ironstones showed higher growth at 32 and 48 DAE and more leaflets when compared to soy crop grown in soil with ironstones. As for dry matter, soybean grown in soil without ironstones showed more values for aerial, root and total mass as well for aerial root rate when compared to soybean grown in soil with ironstones. Plinthite ironstones interfere with the growth and/or vegetative development of soybeans. Soybean has less vegetative development when grown in soil with plinthite ironstone concretions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]