A field experiment was conducted in a clayey Dark Red Latosol in Selviria, MS, Brazil, to study the effect of three row spacings (30, 40 and 50 cm) and three seed densities (100, 150 and 200 viable seeds/m2) on plant dry matter yield, macronutrient (N, P, K, Ca, Mg and S) uptake at flowering, and the nutrient use efficiency. A decrease in row spacing led to an increase in shoot dry matter production and nutrient uptake. There was no effect of plant densities on dry matter or nutrient uptake. The decrease in row spacing allowed a higher Ca use efficiency, but not for N and Mg. The concentration of the macronutrients in the shoots was not affected by spacing.
plant populations; spatial distribution; mineral nutrition; nutrient efficiency
