The establishment of herbaceous perennial leguminous in production systems is still a challenge, mainly because of the slow initial growth. Evaluations of the soil cover ratio, dry matter production, contents and accumulations of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium of the herbaceous perennial Galactia striata and Pueraria phaseoloides, sown in different densities and row spacing, aimed at making their establishments feasible. The experiment was conducted in December/98 at Embrapa Agrobiologia, Seropédica (RJ), in a completely randomized block design, as a factorial arrangement 2 x 2 x 4, with four replications. The treatments consisted of the plant species Galactia striata and Pueraria phaseoloides, planted in two spacings (25 and 50 cm apart) and four sowing densities (5, 10, 15 and 20 plants m-1). The most adequate density for a fast soil cover was 10 plants m-1 for Pueraria phaseoloides and Galactia striata, in a 25 cm spacing between planting rows. The highest dry matter production and accumulation of N, P and K in the aerial part of the plant were found in the first cut, in a spacing of 25 cm and row density of 10 plants m-1. The 25 cm spacing with 10 plants m-1 was identified as the most adequate combination for the formation of a full soil cover with Pueraria phaseoloides and Galactia striata.
population arrangement; soil cover crop; nutrient cycling; Galactia striata; Pueraria phaseoloides
