Crop rotation, green manure and nitrogen fertilizers in upland rice under no-tillage

Orivaldo Arf,José Roberto Portugal,Marco Eustáquio De Sá,Salatiér Buzetti,Ricardo Antônio Ferreira Rodrigues

doi:10.1590/1983-40632018v4851446

Orivaldo Arf, José Roberto Portugal + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/1983-40632018v4851446

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Abstract

ABSTRACT The Brazilian Savannah region presents a great potential for the expansion of upland rice crops. However, studies are necessary to identify practices that can improve the crop performance, especially in no-tillage systems. This study aimed to assess the effect of cover crops in association with corn on the development and yield of rice cultivated in rotation and cover fertilized with nitrogen doses. The sprinkler irrigation system was used and the experiment was developed in the 2014/2015 and 2016/2017 harvest years, using a randomized block design, in a 5 × 4 factorial scheme. The treatments consisted of the crop remains combinations of single corn crop, corn + Crotalaria spectabilis, corn + pigeon pea, corn + jack bean and corn + Urochloa ruziziensis, as well as cover nitrogen doses (0 kg ha-1, 40 kg ha-1, 80 kg ha-1 and 120 kg ha-1) in the rice. The cultivation of upland rice in rotation with corn + pigeon pea was favored by the greater soil cover and nitrogen supply via cycling, if compared to the rotation with single corn crop. The intercropped corn + pigeon pea cultivation in the previous summer resulted in a 15 % increase in the yield of rice grains seeded in the rotation, when compared to the single corn crop. The cover nitrogen application positively influenced the grain yield with the maximum estimated doses of 46 kg ha-1 and 105 kg ha-1 of nitrogen, respectively in the 2014/2015 and 2016/2017 harvest years.

Highlights

Crop rotation systems that produce appropriate amounts of crop residues on the soil surface are essential for ensuring the sustainability of production systems (Silva et al 2007)
Due to the growing demand for rice and the difficulties in expanding irrigated crops in southern Brazil, the study of techniques that allow the introduction of upland rice in no-tillage areas, as an alternative to corn in crop rotation, is necessary (Pacheco et al 2011)
According to Ceretta et al (2002), the success of a no-tillage system depends on the production of sufficient dry mass for soil coverage. This is similar to the findings published by Gitti et al (2012b), who evaluated corn as a single crop and intercropped with Crotalaria spectabilis and Crotalaria juncea, in varying sowing periods, and observed an increase in dry mass of 1,320 kg ha-1 and 6,670 kg ha-1, respectively when Crotalaria spectabilis and Crotalaria juncea were planted simultaneously with corn

Summary

Introduction

Crop rotation systems that produce appropriate amounts of crop residues on the soil surface are essential for ensuring the sustainability of production systems (Silva et al 2007). Several benefits are derived from crop rotation: maintenance and improvements in soil fertility, diversification of crops in the property, minimization of complete losses risks, maintenance and improvements in crop yield, reduction in production costs and promotion of the rational and efficient use of production factors (Fidelis et al 2003). Despite these benefits, the adoption of the crop rotation system as the main. The responses of different cover crops should be assessed, in addition to the responses of economically valuable crops used in rotation with rice

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