The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse and aimed to study morphogenic characteristics of Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu, grown under combined rates of nitrogen and sulphur, in a soil (Typic Quartzipsamment) collected from a degrading Brachiaria decumbens pasture. A fractionated 5² factorial was used, with 13 combinations of nitrogen and sulphur rates (N-S), in mg/dm³: 0-0; 0-20; 0-40; 100-10; 100-30; 200-0; 200-20; 200-40; 300-10; 300-30; 400-0; 400-20; and 400-40, which were set in a randomized block design, with four replications. Plants were harvested three times. Nitrogen supply is essential to obtain both good initial plant growth and pasture establishment with marandu palisadegrass. When nitrogen is applied in rates between 300 and 400 mg/dm³, a minimum sulphur supply of 30 mg/dm³ is necessary to maximize the number of tillers, number of leaves, leaf area, and above-ground dry matter yield of marandu palisadegrass. An adequate ratio for nitrogen and sulphur rates to maximize morphogenic characteristics of this grass ranged from 9:1 to 11:1.
Brachiaria; leaf area; N:S ratio; pasture establishment; tiller; typic Quartzpsamment
