Effect of the addition of sugarcane bagasse composts on micronutrient assimilability in ryegrass

An experiment was conducted under greenhouse conditions to determine the effect of different applied sugarcane bagasse composts on micronutrient assimilability. Five treatments were prepared: soil alone (C), soil+mineral complements of N, P and K (NPK) and three treatments, containing soil+different sugarcane bagasse composts at 100 t ha^?1. A ryegrass culture (Lolium perenne L. c.v. Varna) was grown in pots from which five harvests of plant material were obtained. Soil samples of each treatment were collected before sowing and after the third and fifth harvests. The addition of sugarcane bagasse composts to soil increased DTPA-extractable Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn throughout the entire experiment in comparison with C and NPK. These organic materials also led to an increase in Fe, Cu and Zn uptake by plants after the second harvest.