Soil fertility and yerba mate ( Ilex paraguariensis A. St. Hil.) growth under sheep manure or mineral fertilization in monoculture or intercropped with Mimosa scabrella Benth.

Yerba mate ( Ilex paraguariensis A. St. Hil.) is a native tree species from South America, whose raw material covers the sectors of food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and hygiene products. In this work we study the soil chemical fertility, plant nutritional status and growth of yerba mate under effects of mineral and organic fertilization in two management systems, monoculture and intercropping with Mimosa scabrella Benth. Three soil fertilization treatments (control, mineral fertilization and organic fertilization as sheep manure) and two yerba mate provenances were studied. Soil chemical analysis was performed at 360 DAT (days after transplanting the plants to the field) in two layers (0–20 and 20–40 cm depth). At 360 and 460 DAT, foliar nutrient concentrations were determined and shoot height and collar diameter of the yerba mate plants were measured. Mineral or organic fertilization increased Mg, K and P contents of the soil, while the other soil fertility attributes were not affected by the fertilization treatments. Foliar concentrations of N, Ca, S Cu and B were affected by yerba mate provenances and management system. Soil fertilization affected the foliar concentrations of Mg, Fe and B. Foliar concentrations of the other nutrients (N, P, K, S, Mn and Zn) were not influenced by the fertilization treatments. Monoculture system had greater plant growth evaluated at 360 and 460 DAT than the intercropped system. Organic fertilization, added as sheep manure, had a similar effect to that of mineral fertilization on growth of yerba mate plants.