Doctorate qualifying exam of Mayan Blanc Amaral
Biological nitrogen fixation; forage groudnut; desmodio; macrotyloma
Brazil is a world reference in livestock production, espcially beef and dairy cattle from grazing systems. The forage legumes when intercropped with grasses can increase the nitrogen supply, without the need for nitrogen fertilization. Some legume species have already been selected for this purpose, however, there is still a low diffusion of the technology by ranchers. The measurement of biological nitrogen fixation in different locations with different technological levels can help in the diffusion of this technology and improve the performance of Brazilian pastures. Therefore, the objective of this thesis will be to evaluate the contribution of symbiotic bacteria and associative microorganisms in the promotion of plant growth of forage legumes, measure biological nitrogen fixation in natural systems without inoculation and with inoculation, aiming to improve the recommendation of inoculants for pastures. The study was organized into chapters, addressing the improvement of the technique of quantification of biological nitrogen fixation in Arachis pintoi, Macrotyloma axillare and Desmodium heterocarpon, evaluating the process in existing intercropped pastures and the mixed inoculation of symbiotic and plant growth-promoting bacteria, including the prospect of new strains to be recommended for forage legumes.