Abstract
Seeking to provide essential information about sustainable tillage systems, this work aimed to assess the effects of liming and soil cultivation systems on the soil hydrophysical attributes of a long-term cultivated sugarcane field in the tropical region of southeast Brazil. Infiltration tests and soil sampling down to 0.10 m were performed in order to determine saturated soil hydraulic conductivity, soil bulk density, soil total porosity, macroporosity, microporosity, and soil resistance to penetration. The studied areas include no-tillage (NT) and conventional tillage (CT) systems with 0 (CT0 and NT0) and 4 (CT4 and NT4) Mg ha−1 of lime, and an adjoining area with native forest (NF). The data analysis included an analysis of variance followed by the Tukey test to compare different systems, assessment of the Pearson correlation coefficient between variables, and a principal component analysis of the dataset. The lowest bulk density and highest soil total porosity, macroporosity and saturated hydraulic conductivity were found in the NF. The bulk density in CT4 and NT0 was higher than in other systems, indicating the need for amelioration. NT4 is suggested as the most viable system for conservation agriculture in sugarcane fields, combining the benefits of no-tillage and liming to enhance soil hydrophysical functions.
Highlights
native forest (NF) differed from the other systems in all variables, whilst CT4, NT0 and NT4 did not differ in terms of bulk density (Bd), total porosity (TP) and Mac
For the variables Bd, TP and Mac, only the NF differed from CT4, NT0 and NT4, as CT0 was similar to NF and the other treatments
The highest values of soil hydraulic conductivity were found in the native forest and in conventional tillage without lime, as a consequence of the lowest values of bulk density and the highest values of soil total porosity and macroporosity
Summary
Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) is an important crop worldwide due to its multiple purposes in both food and fuel industries [1]. As a result of a higher demand for its byproducts, sugarcane production has increased in recent years, combined with an expansion in the crop area, the improvement of soil fertility, and the use of agricultural machinery in all its cultivation stages. Soil use intensification has boosted sugarcane production by means of crop area extension, lime application and mechanized agriculture, it has led to changes in soil structure, including structural degradation [2,3,4]. Soil structure and its related soil hydrophysical attributes are of primary importance for plant growth and development, as they influence soil aeration, soil water storage, water retention, and drainage [5]
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