Abstract
It is well-known nowadays that soil variability can influence crop yields. Therefore, to determine specific areas of soil management, we studied the Pearson and spatial correlations of rice grain yield with organic matter content and pH of an Oxisol (Typic Acrustox) under no- tillage, in the 2009/10 growing season, in Selvíria, State of Mato Grosso do Sul, in the Brazilian Cerrado (longitude 51º24' 21'' W, latitude 20º20' 56'' S). The upland rice cultivar IAC 202 was used as test plant. A geostatistical grid was installed for soil and plant data collection, with 120 sampling points in an area of 3.0 ha with a homogeneous slope of 0.055 m m-1. The properties rice grain yield and organic matter content, pH and potential acidity and aluminum content were analyzed in the 0-0.10 and 0.10-0.20 m soil layers. Spatially, two specific areas of agricultural land management were discriminated, differing in the value of organic matter and rice grain yield, respectively with fertilization at variable rates in the second zone, a substantial increase in agricultural productivity can be obtained. The organic matter content was confirmed as a good indicator of soil quality, when spatially correlated with rice grain yield.
Highlights
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a staple food of mankind (Walter et al, 2008)
The new upland rice cultivars are being grown in no-tillage (NT) systems, representing a viable option for a more sustainable agriculture in the Cerrado (Brazilian savannah-like region) (Cazetta et al, 2008)
MATERIAL AND METHODS The study was conducted in Selvíria, Mato Grosso do Sul
Summary
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a staple food of mankind (Walter et al, 2008). In Brazil, in areas where the agricultural technology level is high, upland rice can yield up to 4,000 kg ha-1. In the 2009/10 growing season, the average national yield of upland and irrigated rice together was 4,073 kg ha-1 and on average 5,490 kg ha-1 in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul (CONAB, 2010). The new upland rice cultivars are being grown in no-tillage (NT) systems, representing a viable option for a more sustainable agriculture in the Cerrado (Brazilian savannah-like region) (Cazetta et al, 2008). The Brazilian agricultural soils are little fertile, typically with low contents of exchangeable cations, high acidity and aluminum toxicity. With regard to Oxisol, under natural conditions and with minimal human intervention, the surface values of bulk density are 0.98-1.13 kg dm-3, total porosity 0.61-0.67 m3 m-3 and penetration resistance of around 1.32 MPa (Carneiro et al, 2009)
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