Abstract
ABSTRACT: Microbial biomass is a driving force in the dynamics of soil organic matter, and microbial activity is an indicator of soil quality in agroecosystems, reflecting changes in management practices and environmental conditions. We evaluated the effect of monoculture and intercropped winter cover crops on soil chemical attributes, microbial biomass carbon (MBC), basal respiration (BR), metabolic quotient (qCO2), urease, β-glucosidase, and fluorescein diacetate (FDA) hydrolysis activity, as well as onion yield in a no-tillage system. Soil is a Typic Humudept, and treatments were control with spontaneous vegetation, barley, rye, oilseed radish (OR), OR + rye, and OR + barley. The soil was sampled (0-10 cm) five times between June and December. There were no differences among treatments for MBC and BR, and the highest values for those attributes occurred in June, when cover plants were in their initial stage. Although, qCO2 was not affected by any treatment, it varied among sampling periods, ranging from 0.62 to 10 µg C-CO2 mg-1 MBC h-1, indicating a low- or no stress environment. Cover crops had little influence on enzyme activity, but FDA was lowered in areas with single crops of barley and rye. Average onion yield in cover crops treatments was 13.01 (Mg ha-1), 30-40% higher than in the control treatment.
Highlights
Onion is an important crop in Brazil, and the state of Santa Catarina is one of the leading production regions (EPAGRI, 2013)
This research aimed to evaluate the influence of winter cover crops on chemical and biological soil attributes in an area with onion grown in a no-tillage system
Soil organic matter (OM), P, Mg, Ca, pHH2O and CECpH7.0 did not differ among treatments with single or intercropped cover crops or fallow (Table 1)
Summary
Onion is an important crop in Brazil, and the state of Santa Catarina is one of the leading production regions (EPAGRI, 2013) In this region, onions are grown under conventional management system, which involves plowing and harrowing at planting, causing physical, chemical and biological degradation (MARINARI et al, 2006; LOSS et al, 2015). Cover crops residues increase soil organic matter; and cation exchange capacity (CEC), enhancing adsorption of elements such as calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg), and complexation of potentially harmful elements, such as aluminum (Al) (OLIVEIRA et al, 2016) Those plants can uptake nutrients from deeper soil layers, such as phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). This research aimed to evaluate the influence of winter cover crops on chemical and biological soil attributes in an area with onion grown in a no-tillage system
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