In Rio Grande do Sul state, the area cultivated with under no-till system now amounts to 60 % of the total rain-fed cultivated area. However, there are still doubts as to crop practices in this soil conservation system, such as liming and fertilization as well as regarding root growth and crop productivity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of lime doses and application forms on corn root development. The experiment was carried out in 1999/2000, in the experimental area of the Soil Science Department of the Federal University of Santa Maria, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, in a random block design in split plots, with four replications. The soil under study was a typical Hapludalf with 2 % slope. Main treatments were: no lime (SC), incorporation of 100 % of the recommended dose (100I), and 25 % (25S), 50 % (50S) and 100 % (100S) of the recommended dose (6.8 t ha-1) distributed over the soil surface. Lime was incorporated with conventional tillage in February 1996. Using the "nail board" method, with dimensions of 0,20 x 0,30 m, 0,30 x 0,45 m and 0,45 x 0,70 m, monoliths were taken from the soil profile, parallel to the corn sowing furrow, at 20, 54 and 80 days after corn emergence (DAE). The monoliths were carefully washed and the roots counted to establish a corn rooting profile in each treatment. Increasing lime doses applied on the soil surface (25S, 50S and 100S) increased the depth at which elevations in pH, Ca2+ and Mg2+ concentration and Al3+ reduction were observed. In the treatment 100I there was an increase in pH, Ca2+ and Mg2+ and a decrease in the Al3+ concentration down to 0,20-0,30 m compared to the SC treatment. Even under adverse acid conditions, the root profile showed there was root development down to 0,45 m in all treatments. Treatment 100I showed greater root development down to a depth of 0,15-0,20 m than treatments with lower surface lime doses (50s and 25S), where roots were more concentrated down to 0,075 m. Lime incorporation (100I) led to a more uniform neutralization of acidity at deeper soil layers, which reflected in a improved root system down to 0,45 m.
liming; soil management; roots; Zea mays; chemical attributes
