Changes in the pH of the rhizosphere of N2-fixing plants seem to play a key role in the uptake of micronutrient whose availability depends on changes in soil acidity. Variations in the B, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn uptake were studied during soybean development and growth cycle under the influence of biological N2 fixation and the initial pH of two soils samples (a clayey and a sandy Yellow Latosol; Oxisols), in a greenhouse experiment. These samples were incubated with rates of CaCO3 + MgCO3 (4:1) to raise the pH (H2O) to 5.2, 5.6, 6.2, and 6.6 in the clay soil and to 5.3, 5.6, 5.9, and 6.3, respectively, in the sandy soil. After 60 days of incubation, the soil samples were fertilized with 450 mg dm-3 P and 120 mg dm-3 K. Soybean (Glycine max (L) Merrill) seeds of the variety Paranaíba, inoculated with the strains SEMIA 587 and SEMIA 5019 of Bradyrhizobium japonicum were germinated. Four plants per pot (2.2 dm³) were grown and harvested 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 46, and 54 days after emergence. The following variables were measured: pH of the rhizosphere (pHr), the non-rhizospheric soil pH (between roots) (pHnr), the B, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn contents in shoots and roots, N in the shoot, number of nodules, and the shoot, root and nodule dry matter. It was observed that changes in pHr and pHnr depended on the initial soil pH (pHs) and on biological N2 fixation. The accumulation of B and Fe in the shoots was not influenced by the pHr values modified depending on the pH, except for Fe in the clay soil. However, nodules appeared 24 days after emergence and nutrient accumulation was significantly increased from then on. For Cu, Mn and Zn uptake seemed to be affected mainly by pHr. The micronutrient content in the plants proved to be sensitive to changes in the rhizospheric pH, particularly after nodulation.
acidity; biological fixation; micronutrients
