Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine how often rural farmers in a watershed use no-tillage systems combined with crop rotation, contour farming and agricultural terraces. The study area was Paraná Watershed III (PB3) in the western region of Paraná State, and data from the 2006 Agricultural Census of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics were used. A frequency distribution analysis of farms as a function of the no-tillage (NT) area was conducted in combination with a cluster analysis of soil and water conservation practices (adoption of crop rotation, contour farming and agricultural terrace practices). The results showed that the farms in PB3 adopt adequate soil and water conservation practices, with 73% adopting NT combined with at least 2 other conservation practices; however, agricultural terracing was found to be the most neglected practice in the region. In addition, based on the soil and water conservation practices in the watershed, 5 groups of farms were identified, the worst of which, those located in the municipalities that mainly neglect conservation practices, live in areas with highly erodible soils.
Highlights
Soil degradation is associated with a decline in the quality of the physical, chemical, biological and ecological attributes of soil that result in a loss of soil biodiversity, structure and organic matter through erosion and compaction processes, as well as in impaired ecosystem functions and services (Lal 2015)
The results obtained for Paraná State, which is one of the pioneers in the adoption and development of NT and no-tillage systems (NTS) in Brazil (Silva et al 2009), have shown that NT controls more than 70% of soil losses due to erosion compared to conventional tillage practices (Merten et al 2015), but the reduction of such losses has led many farmers to believe that NT alone is sufficient for controlling soil erosion, leading to the abandonment of agricultural terraces and contour farming (Denardin et al 2008)
The area dedicated to annual crops managed by NT ranges from 71 to 90% of the total in 10 municipalities, from 51 to 70% in 3 and from 38 to 50% in 2
Summary
Soil degradation is associated with a decline in the quality of the physical, chemical, biological and ecological attributes of soil that result in a loss of soil biodiversity, structure and organic matter through erosion and compaction processes, as well as in impaired ecosystem functions and services (Lal 2015). In an attempt to control and revert the problems caused by soil erosion, conservation practices have been applied in Brazilian agriculture, including no-. NT is a widely adopted technique in Brazilian agriculture that is practiced on approximately 50% of the area cultivated with temporary crops in Brazil (FuentesLlanillo et al 2013). The results obtained for Paraná State, which is one of the pioneers in the adoption and development of NT and NTS in Brazil (Silva et al 2009), have shown that NT controls more than 70% of soil losses due to erosion compared to conventional tillage practices (Merten et al 2015), but the reduction of such losses has led many farmers to believe that NT alone is sufficient for controlling soil erosion, leading to the abandonment of agricultural terraces and contour farming (Denardin et al 2008). Terraces have been eliminated because they are thought to be a barrier to increasingly large agricultural machinery (Telles et al 2013) and because of the belief that their elimination leads to efficiency gains through mechanized sowing, fertilizer application and harvesting operations
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