Can Palisade and Guinea Grass Sowing Time in Intercropping Systems Affect Soybean Yield and Soil Chemical Properties?

Nídia Raquel Costa,João William Bossolani,Eiko Eurya Kuramae,Cristiano Magalhães Pariz,César Gustavo Da Rocha Lima,Carlos Antonio Costa Do Nascimento,Carolina Dos Santos Batista Bonini,André Michel De Castilhos,Carlos Alexandre Costa Crusciol,Marcelo Andreotti

doi:10.3389/fsufs.2020.00081

Nídia Raquel Costa, João William Bossolani + Show 8 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2020.00081

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Abstract

IIn tropical regions, intercropping systems under no-tillage improve biomass quantity, soil conservation, and cash crop productivity. However, the optimal sowing time for forage species in these cropping systems is unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of two sowing times of palisade and guinea grass on forage production and quality, soybean yield and soil chemical properties. Palisade and guinea grasses were sown for intercropping with maize or after maize silage harvest (hereafter succession) in an experiment carried out over three crop seasons. We evaluated forage dry matter production, pasture nutritive values, straw nutrient content, soybean leaf nutrients, yield, and soil fertility. The highest dry matter production was 8.1 Mg ha−1 for guinea grass in the intercropping system (sum of 3 cuts). Sowing forage after maize silage harvest provided 4% more crude protein compared with intercropping, regardless of grass species. Soybean yield was over 1.0 Mg ha−1 higher when soybean was cropped in succession compared with intercropping; however, the effects of the two forage grasses on soybean production were similar. Soil pH, calcium and magnesium content, cation exchange capacity, and base saturation were higher in the intercropping systems than in the succession systems, particularly when guinea grass was cultivated. Sowing guinea grass after maize harvest provided better forage quality, nutrient cycling, soybean yields, and soil chemical properties in tropical conditions.

Highlights

Leaving the straw and roots of successive crops on agricultural fields, such as under no-tillage systems (NTS), improves the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil (Castro et al, 2015; Calonego et al, 2017)
We evaluated the effects of different crop systems of maize silage with tropical perennial grasses on (i) forage yield and chemical composition during winter, (ii) surface mulch during spring, (iii) soybean cultivated during the summer of the third crop season, and (iv) soil improvement in an experiment over three consecutive crop growing seasons in a tropical region with dry winters (Brazilian Cerrado)
There was a significant effect of the sowing time × forage species interaction (p < 0.030) on forage dry matter production (FDMP) (Table 2)

Summary

Introduction

Leaving the straw and roots of successive crops on agricultural fields, such as under no-tillage systems (NTS), improves the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil (Castro et al, 2015; Calonego et al, 2017). NTS (Costa et al, 2015; Moraes et al, 2019) These conservationist management practices preserve natural tropical resources (Crusciol et al, 2015), provide high yields of most grain crops (Pariz et al, 2017; Mateus et al, 2020) and are good options to increase food production during irregular periods of rain (Borghi et al, 2013). Worldwide, these crop systems can reduce poverty, allowing farmers to achieve better productivity and increase profits with minimum environmental impact (FAO – Food Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2017).

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