Fertility, carbon stock and aggregate stability of an Alfisol under integrated farming systems

Pedro Luan Ferreira Da Silva,Flávio Pereira De Oliveira,Danillo Dutra Tavares,André Julio Do Amaral,Adriana Ferreira Martins

doi:10.1590/1983-40632021v5166505

Abstract

ABSTRACT Integrated farming systems are promising strategies for the recovery of pastures and degraded soils. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of integrated farming systems arrangements, after four years of implementation, on the fertility, carbon stock and aggregate stability of an Alfisol, in the semiarid region of the Paraíba state, Brazil. A randomized block experimental design was used, with 5 treatments and 4 replications: Brachiaria decumbens; B. decumbens + Tabebuia impetiginous; B. decumbens + Gliricidia sepium; B. decumbens + Mimosa caesalpiniifolia; and B. decumbens + maize. The soil chemical attributes, fertility, carbon stock and structural and aggregate stability were evaluated in the 0.00-0.10, 0.10-0.20 and 0.20-0.30 m layers. The B. decumbens + maize system presented an organic matter content 11.93 % higher than B. decumbens, and was higher than the other systems evaluated. Concerning the carbon stock in the 0.00-0.10 m layer, in B. decumbens the uptake was 2.66 Mg ha-1 higher than that of the B. decumbens + maize system and, on average, 4.69 Mg ha-1 higher than for the systems with the arboreal component. In the medium-term, B. decumbens is more efficient in adding carbon to the soil. The soil structural stability, aggregate stability index and fertility were not affected by the different arrangements after four years of implementation.

Highlights

Crop-livestock-forest integration is a production system that integrates agricultural, livestock and forest components in rotation, intercropping or succession, within the same production area, over a production cycle (Balbino et al 2011)
This study aimed to evaluate the effect of integrated farming systems arrangements on the fertility, carbon stock and aggregate stability of an a Planossolo Háplico Eutrófico mésico solódico (Alfisol) previously used for pasture, in the semiarid region of the Paraíba state, after four years of implementation
The soil of the experimental area was classified as a Planossolo Háplico Eutrófico mésico solódico (Alfisol; USA 2014), with moderate A horizon and sandy-loam texture (Santos et al 2018)

Summary

Introduction

Crop-livestock-forest integration is a production system that integrates agricultural, livestock and forest components in rotation, intercropping or succession, within the same production area, over a production cycle (Balbino et al 2011) This production system is used to intensify the soil use with minimum impact to ecosystem functions (Valani et al 2020), and is more advantageous than conventional systems by presenting higher yields, lower production costs, better efficiency of inputs and lower systematic risk, due to the diversified income sources (Kichel et al 2014). Chemical and biological quality (Conceição et al 2014, Torralba et al 2016, Zonta et al 2016, Bünemann et al 2018, Souza et al 2019) These systems promote a high carbon uptake, favor the nutrient cycling, improve the soil biota (Conte et al 2011), reduce the soil density and compaction degree, and increase the soil total porosity and aggregation, as well as the water availability and infiltration rate (Pezarico et al 2013). Valani et al (2020) pointed out that integration systems are underexplored, despite their potential for soil management in global scale, especially for the recovery of degraded pastures

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