Abstract
ABSTRACT: Mean grain yield of flooded rice in southern Brazil has increased in recent years due to the use of high-yield cultivars and improvement of crop management practices. Nevertheless, stagnation in grain yields has been observed in some rice-producing regions. Adoption of conservation tillage systems based on cover crops may be a strategy to increase rice grain yield potential. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of winter cover crops on initial establishment, development, and grain [...]
Highlights
Flooded rice (Oryza sativa L.) has great economic and social importance in southern Brazil
Treatments consisted of three winter cover crops [ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.), native serradella (Ornithopus micranthus Benth.), and a ryegrass-serradella mixture] and fallow, with three fertilization levels on rice grown in succession (Sosbai, 2014)
The results show that an annual addition of around 15.0 Mg ha-1 of residue is possible when flooded rice is cultivated in succession to cover crops, which may contribute to positive carbon balance and increase soil carbon storage
Summary
Flooded rice (Oryza sativa L.) has great economic and social importance in southern Brazil. In the state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS), 5.4 million hectares are known as “lowland soils”, and around one million hectares are annually cultivated with flooded rice. This state is the largest producer of rice in Brazil, accounting for nearly 69 % of national production (Conab, 2016); mean grain yield is 7.8 Mg ha-1 (IRGA, 2016). Evaluation of winter cover crops adapted to poorly drained soils is crucial for grain yield increases and the sustainability of flooded rice-producing systems. The availability of P, K, Ca, and Mg is believed to increase by nutrient recycling
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