Inadequate crop practices are among the main causes for reduced productivity of cashew crops in the Northeast of Brazil. Periodical elimination of vegetation and the use of heavy machines and implements influence soil temperatures and density, possibly affecting plant growthand development. This is an aggravating fact, considering the sandy soils and climate conditions of the region. This study had the objective to investigate the development of cashew nut plants (early-dwarf cultivar) at different levels of soil temperature and density, to corroborate the hypothesis: the higher the level of these factors, the lower the expected plant growth and biomass production. PVC tubes were filled with samples of eutrophic Red-Yellow Typic Podzolic soil under controlled conditions and these soil columns exposed to two temperatures. In one of the treatments, PVC columns were insulated with polystyrene sheets and painted in aluminium color (Insulation treatment-IT), and in the other treatment, PVC columns without sheets were painted black to absorb more sunlight (treatment without insulation-TWI). Density levels used in the compressed soil layers were 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, and 1.7 Mg m-3, and 1.3 Mg m-3 in the rest of the column. The experimental design was completely randomized in three replications, for six density and two temperature level treatments. After twelve months, plant shoots were collected to determine biomass, height, stem diameter and number of branches. Soil rings and roots were separated to determine the root area, root length, and root density by pixel number. Results indicated that higher soil temperatures and densities reduced growth, affecting both above-ground biomass and roots of the cashew nut plants.
Soil management; perennial cultures; root systems; sandy soils; Barreiras Formation
