Abstract
Integrating agricultural land uses is a suitable alternative for fostering economic development and improving food security. However, the effects of long-term integrated systems on soil erosion and water infiltration are still poorly understood. Here, we investigate the influence of different agricultural land uses on soil erosion and water infiltration in an Oxisol site located in the Brazilian Cerrado region. The experimental area consisted of continuous grazing under variable stocking rates with regular fertilization (CG-RF), continuous cropping under no-till (CC-NT) and no-till with 4-year subsoiling (CC-SS), rotation of one year cropping and three years livestock in the livestock phase (C1-L3), rotation of four years cropping and four years livestock in the cropping phase (CL-4C) and in the livestock phase (CL-4L), and integrated crop-livestock-forestry in the cropping phase (CLF-C) and in the livestock phase (CLF-L). To evaluate water infiltration and soil loss, we used a rainfall simulator with a constant rainfall intensity of 74.9 ± 3.6 mm h−1 in plots of 0.7 m2. We carried out 72 rainfall simulations comprising four repetitions in each treatment under vegetation and bare soil. Stable infiltration rate (SIR) ranged from 45.9 to 74.8 mm h−1 and 19.4 to 70.8 mm h−1 under vegetation covers and bare soil, respectively. Our findings indicated that SIR values under CLF-C were 60% greater than under CG-RF. We also found that soil loss rates under CLF-C were 50% smaller than under CG-RF. The crop–livestock rotation period that presented better results of SIR and soil loss was one year of cropping and three years of livestock (C1-L3). Overall, we noted that SIR and soil loss values under CLF-C are similar to the Cerrado native vegetation. Therefore, our study reveals the opportunity to increase agricultural production, improve food supply, and reduce soil erosion with adequate soil and agricultural management.
Highlights
The ever-increasing global population’s demand for food and energy has generated the intensified use of farm machinery and heavier livestock stocking rates in several regions; for instance, the total net import of staple crops in the world will probably increase by a ratio of 2.2 by 2050, considering a scenario of low population growth [1]
We found the smallest water and soil losses values when croplands replaced livestock lands (CL-4C and crop-livestock-forestry in the cropping phase (CLF-C)), except continuous cropping under no-till (CC-NT) and C1-L3 (Figure 4)
We performed the rainfall simulations a few months after the transition from pasture phase to the cropping phase, the grazing management under variable stocking rate indirectly improved water infiltration and decreased soil loss
Summary
The ever-increasing global population’s demand for food and energy has generated the intensified use of farm machinery and heavier livestock stocking rates in several regions; for instance, the total net import of staple crops in the world will probably increase by a ratio of 2.2 by 2050, considering a scenario of low population growth [1]. It is necessary to develop soil management systems that endure severe storms and droughts, allowing food production and environmental protection, as well as increasing production in small areas. Crop residue management and no-till are considered sustainable crop production systems. The modern concept of soil and water conservation stems from maintaining soil cover using crop residue, minimizing soil disturbance, and diversifying growing cultures such as agroforestry systems. Assessing soil and water losses is paramount for prioritization and formulation of proper land management programs that aim at sustainable development. One of the eight soil and water conservation principles states that long-term research and data collection and availability are key to sustainably managing agricultural lands [6]. There have been few studies experimentally addressing water and soil losses in long-term agroforestry systems along with continuous cropping and grazing. The existing studies were carried out under recent agroforestry experiments but they did not analyze environmental aspects integrating the three components (crop-livestock-forestry) [7]
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