The industrial waste lime sludge originated from the production of bleached kraft paper from eucalyptus, contains considerable amount of calcium, which can help reduce the consumption of fertilizers in forest plantations. To evaluate the effect of lime sludge as a Ca source and its effects on nutrient availability and shoot dry matter production of eucalyptus trees, two greenhouse experiments were conducted in the research area of Klabin, in Paraná. The soils were an Entisol quartzipsamments and an Alfisol paleudult. The treatments consisted of two Ca sources (dolomitic limestone and lime sludge), and a control, identified as: Entisol control, Entisol limestone, Entisol lime sludge and for the Alfisol: Alfisol control, Alfisol limestone, and Alfisol lime sludge. The experimental design was completely randomized with four replications. Seedlings of Eucalyptus saligna were grown for 126 days in pots. The dry matter production was quantified, shoot leaf analysis conducted and soil analyzed at harvest. The data revealed that both types of liming supplied the eucalyptus plants with Ca, increased by the residue application, compared with the treatment with dolomitic limestone, whereas the N, P, K and S contents remained similar. The foliar Mg contents of plants grown in the treatments Entisol control and Entisol lime sludge were below the range considered adequate. The addition of lime sludge increased soil pH and Ca and Na concentrations, reduced exchangeable Al and did not affect Mg availability; this latter fact can lead to Mg deficiency for plants in soils with low Mg levels, as observed in this study.
alkali industrial waste; forest nutrition; sodium
