Abstract
ABSTRACT: Even in areas of predominance of Caiuá sandstone, with soils of low natural fertility that are highly susceptible to erosion and degradation processes, farmers have adopted systems with little diversification, because they believe that they provide a greater economic return. However, agricultural practices such as crop rotation can bring agronomic benefits in terms of conservation agriculture, in addition to economic gains, circumventing edaphoclimatic difficulties in the region. In this context, the objective of this study is to verify whether no-till crop rotation systems are economically profitable, in a Caiuá sandstone area in the northwest region of the Brazilian state of Paraná. To this end, an experiment was conducted in the municipality of Umuarama, state of Paraná, in the crop year 2014/15 to 2016/17. The experimental design used random blocks, with four treatments and four repetitions. The treatments consisted of four crop rotation systems, involving wheat, black oats, canola, safflower, rye, crambe, beans, maize, fodder radish, soybean, sorghum, lupin beans, buckwheat, and triticale cultivars. Crop yields, operating costs, income, and net farm income were assessed. From the results, it was reported that the highest income was obtained in the systems that adopted the largest number of winter and summer commercial crops. Only one treatment was profitable, that is, it had a positive net farm income. This scenario may be associated with the fragility of the region’s soil, which having low fertility, requires a high investment in fertilization and liming to ensure adequate production.
Highlights
The choice of farmers for systems with little diversification is largely justified by the short-term economic return (MARCELO et al, 2012)
Sustainability in agriculture remains relevant in the Brazilian agricultural scene, with producers increasingly searching for systems aiming to mitigate the environmental impact of extractive agriculture and food security of production (COSTA, 2010)
It was found that overall, soybean productivity was below the average of the state of
Summary
The choice of farmers for systems with little diversification is largely justified by the short-term economic return (MARCELO et al, 2012). These systems go against what is recommended from a technical-agronomic point of view and conservation agriculture (KASSAM et al, 2009; TELLES et al, 2019). This is because the adoption of these cultivation systems may lead to several obstacles in the sustainability of agricultural production, such as the development of pests, diseases, weeds, and nematoids, and may result in loss of soil quality, compromising its productive capacity (VEZZANI; MIELNICZUK, 2009). Crop rotation stands out as a sustainable agricultural practice, because when carried out continuously, it leads to structural and physicochemical soil improvements (CASTRO et al, 2011; BORTOLUZZI et al, 2010)
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