Sowing depths of brachiaria in intercropping with corn in no tillage planting

Rodolfo De N Gazola,Raíssa P Dinalli,Luiz M M De Melo,Cássia M De P Garcia,Marcelo C M Teixeira Filho

doi:10.1590/s0100-69162013000100016

Rodolfo De N Gazola, Raíssa P Dinalli + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/s0100-69162013000100016

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Abstract

The forage production in crop-livestock integration is critical both for formation of straw for no tillage planting and food for livestock farm. The experiment was conducted in the autumn/winter of 2009 and 2010, in the city of Selvíria -state of Mato Grosso do Sul -MS, Brazil, at Experimental Station of FEIS/UNESP. The objective was to evaluate the optimal depth for deposition of seeds of two Brachiaria species intercropped with corn with emphasis on grain yield and straw. The experimental design was a randomized block design in a factorial scheme 3 x 3, with four replications. The main treatments were two species of Brachiaria (Urochloa brizantha "Marandú" and Urochloa ruziziensis), which seeds were mixed with corn fertilizer and a control treatment (without intercropping). Secondary treatments consisted of three depths (8; 10 and 16 cm) in the deposition of fertilizer (in the consortium and the control treatments). The intercropping corn with Brachiaria produced similar amounts of straw. The straw total production was higher when intercropped and decreased with depth. The consortium with U. ruziziensis provided higher grain yield of corn in relation to U. brizantha, in 2010. The sowing depth of forages did not affect corn yield.

Highlights

Forage production in crop-livestock integration is critical for formation of straw, providing ground cover and food for livestock
According to PACHECO et al (2010), deeper sowings of U. brizantha and U. decumbens result in lower density and stand of plants, requiring increasing the density of seeds to achieve the ideal stand of the plant cover
This measure implies an increase in the cost of production, what may prevent the use of deeper sowing to delay the emergence of coverage plants in ILP

Summary

Introduction

Forage production in crop-livestock integration is critical for formation of straw, providing ground cover and food for livestock. According to MELLO et al (2004), this system integrates the two activities with the goals of maximizing rational land use, verticalize and diversify production, minimize costs and add value to products by taking advantage of the features and benefits that provide an activity to another Because it is a new system, there are questions regarding to soil compaction effects on later crops and on the amount of waste straw for ground cover. The consortium of off-season corn with other species is an important alternative for the production of grain and straw It can enable no tillage planting in the Midwest Region of Brazil (CECCON, 2007). The establishment of the crop-livestock system using cover crops intercropped with corn is an exploration option, maximizing the productive use of the soil, adding value for grain production and forage for livestock (SILVA et al, 2008)

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