The objective of this work was to evaluate the impact of the herbicides ametryn and trifloxysulfuron-sodium, alone or combined, and 2,4-D, on mineral nutrition and growth in sugar cane plants. Sugar cane plants with three to four fully expanded leaves were sprayed with ametryn, trifloxysulfuron-sodium, and ametryn + trifloxysulfuron-sodium at the doses of 1.30; 1.00; 0.0225, and 1.463 + 0.0375 Kg ha-1, respectively. A completely randomized design was adopted in a split-plot scheme with four replications. Herbicide effect was evaluated in the whole plots and the effect of time after application in the split-plots. At 15, 30, 45, and 60 days after spraying (DAA), leaf tissue samples were collected and analyzed for height and dry mass of the shoots, number of leaves and tillers, and foliar concentrations of macro and micronutrients of sugar cane plants. The leaf concentrations of N, P and Mg were not affected by herbicide use. After herbicide spraying, increase in the accumulation rate (coefficient beta0) of the cationic nutrients Ca, Mg and K, was observed in the plants treated with ametryn + trifloxysulfuron-sodium. When 2,4-D was applied, a reduction in the accumulation rate of the S and alteration in the dynamics of the nutrients Mg, Ca and K were verified in relation to the other treatments. The herbicides reduced the iron concentration in sugar cane plants to 15 DAA, in the following order: ametryn+trifloxysulfuron-sodium > ametryn > trifloxysulfuron-sodium > 2,4-D. At 60 DAS, trifloxysulfuron-sodium led to increase of 22.10% in biomass accumulation of the sugar cane shoots in comparison to the control treatment without herbicide application. The number of tillers plants treated with trifloxysulfuron-sodium was double in relation that of those treated with ametryn, evidencing negative effect ametryn. This work evidences herbicide effects on the concentration of leaf nutrients and growth of sugar cane plants.
2,4-D; ametryn; trifloxysulfuron-sodium; macronutrients; micronutrients
