Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate changes in the chemical attributes of the soil caused by the use of limestone associated or not to with gypsum in no-tillage system. The experiment was conducted on a dystrophic Yellow Latosol in Pará state, Brazil. The experimental design was in randomized blocks in split plots with three replications. The treatments consisted of five doses of limestone (0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 t ha-1), with and without gypsum (0, 0.5 and 1 t ha-1). Soil samples were collected at depths of 0-20 and 20-40 cm. There was a significant effect on the analyzed variables at both depths. The doses of 3.64 and 2.19 t ha-1 of limestone associated with 0.5 t ha-1 of gypsum, were responsible for the largest increase in soil calcium content in the 0-20 and 20-40 cm layers, respectively. The highest increase in Ca + Mg content was found at 3.63 t ha-1 limestone combined with 0.5 t ha-1 gypsum. It was observed that 3.13 t ha-1 of limestone combined with 0.5 t of gypsum increased soil CEC. The 2.89 t ha-1 dose of limestone combined with 0.5 t of gypsum contributed to the increase in base saturation (V%). The use of limestone and gypsum promotes soil chemical conditions, as reflected by increased corn yield when compared with control (no treatment) plots.
Highlights
IntroductionThe intensive use of the conventional tillage system increases soil compaction and surface erosion and reduces water infiltration input of plant residues, all of which are caused by repeated plowing and harrowing practices (Fontana et al, 2016)
The intensive use of the conventional tillage system increases soil compaction and surface erosion and reduces water infiltration input of plant residues, all of which are caused by repeated plowing and harrowing practices (Fontana et al, 2016).The use of conservationist systems such as no-tillage system (NTS) has been adopted in agriculture as an alternative means of reducing impacts caused by conventional systems on soil quality
The application of limestone combined with gypsum promoted the increase in exchangeable Ca2+ (Figure 2a, 2b) and Ca+Mg (2c, 2d) contents in the soil, and the largest increments were found in the topsoil. These results indicate that the increases in the contents of these nutrients in the depth were due to the application of gypsum, which promoted the movement of these bases through the soil profile when compared to the treatment without gypsum (Figure 2a and Figure 2c)
Summary
The intensive use of the conventional tillage system increases soil compaction and surface erosion and reduces water infiltration input of plant residues, all of which are caused by repeated plowing and harrowing practices (Fontana et al, 2016). The use of conservationist systems such as no-tillage system (NTS) has been adopted in agriculture as an alternative means of reducing impacts caused by conventional systems on soil quality. NTS faces some obstacles related to the management of soil chemical attributes, especially the process of soil acidity correction, since limestone application is superficial and without incorporation (Rheinheimer et al, 2018). The non-revolving soil causes the liming benefits combined with the superficial application of limestone, to be restricted to the first centimeters of the soil profile (Crusciol et al, 2016), with the formation of an alkalizing gradient, which decreases with the depth. As the solubility of gypsum (Ca(SO4)2H2O) is greater than of CaCO3, it is responsible for the transport of exchangeable bases to the subsurface layers, reducing aluminum activity and contributing to root growth over the profile (Zambrosi; Alleoni; Caires, 2007)
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