Abstract
Sandy soil often has low nitrogen (N) stock. Thus, crops grown in sandy soil rely on high levels of N fertilization. The use of cover crops and efficient fertilizers can increase N stock in the soil and N availability in the topsoil, and reduce overall fertilizer costs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of cover crops (fallow, a single grass species (ruzigrass), two grass species (ruzigrass + millet), one grass species (millet) with legumes [lime-yellow [...]
Highlights
Nitrogen (N) dynamics in tropical soils are complex, as N loss is often caused by volatilization (Minato et al, 2020) and leaching (Rosolem et al, 2018)
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of cover crops (fallow, a single grass species, two grass species, one grass species with legumes [lime-yellow pea (2018) and velvet bean (2019)], and a mixture of three cover crops [two grass species and one legume (lime-yellow pea (2018)] and velvet bean (2019), N sources and N doses (70, 100 and 130 kg ha-1) on N dynamics in an Oxisol (Latossolo) with sandy texture in Brazil cultivated with cotton
Our findings show that the combined use of cover crops with high biomass production, moderate dose of N and controlled-release N can increase the availability of inorganic nitrogen in the upper layers of the soil in tropical areas with sandy soil and this can reduce nitrogen fertilizer consumption in the medium and long term in cotton fields
Summary
Nitrogen (N) dynamics in tropical soils are complex, as N loss is often caused by volatilization (Minato et al, 2020) and leaching (Rosolem et al, 2018). The risk of losses from leaching is high due to low cation exchange capacity (CEC) and low soil organic matter content. These factors reduce the soil capacity to store N, as well as increase the need for mineral fertilizers, mainly in non-leguminous crops (Shareef et al, 2019), as for example in cotton crops, which require application of N via nitrogen fertilizer. New techniques are needed to improve N efficiency in tropical climates and sandy soil regions
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