NUTRITIONAL EXIGENCY OF ERVA-MATE ( Ilex paraguariensis   A. St.-Hil.) SEEDLINGS TO THE PHOSPHORUS FERTILIZATION

Experiments were installed in the Forestry Technological Center belonging to Forest Science/CCR/UFSM Department in order to study the nutritional exigency of Ilex paraguariensis A. St.-Hil. seedlings to fertilization of phosphorus doses. Vases with capacity of 2 dm³ were filled out with Red Yellow Argisol soil collected from a superficial layer (0-20 cm), which was homogenized, dried in the air, past in sieve of 5 mm and analyzed chemically. As additional fertilization, 64 mg kg^-1 of N and 38 mg kg^-1 K were added the sources were CH4N2O and KCl. The experimental design used was completely randomized with 8 treatments and 6 repetitions, distributed in the following way: T1-control (sole without P addition), T2-90 mg kg^-1, T3^-180 mg kg^-1, T4-270 mg kg^-1, T5-360 mg kg^-1, T6-450 mg kg^-1, T7-540 mg kg^-1 and T8-630 mg kg^-1 of P, respectively. After 10 months, the following parameters were evaluated: the height of the aerial part, stem diameter, biomass above ground, root biomass and total biomass. The best development of the erva-mate seedlings were observed in the doses from 360 and 450 mg P kg^-1.