Growth of millet and sorghum in monoculture and consortium under fertilization levels

Abstract

The choice of suitable species for maintaining soil protection is a challenge for researchers who work with no-till. Thus, the objective was to evaluate growth and half-life in cover plants, such as millet and sorghum, in monoculture systems and in consortium under three levels of fertilization in the southern region of Tocantins, Brazil. The experiment was submitted to 13 years of cultivation, being: 8 years under a conventional system with plowing and leveling harrows; 2 years under using subsoiler and leveling harrow afterwards and 3 years under no-tillage system, with depth of until 20 cm. The experimental design used was in randomized blocks, with three replications. In the monoculture system, the yield and permanence of millet straw on the soil surface was higher in relation to sorghum, in the intercropped system the sorghum has a higher yield and permanence on the soil surface. It appears that the fertilization for all species expressed higher yield in their development and growth, thus having a greater dry mass. Through the results it is possible to conclude that the use of intercropped sorghum is more advantageous for straw production, in the monoculture the millet stood out, especially with the addition fertilizer.