Structuring of a Haplortox by Cover Crops and Their Effects on the Yield of Soybean Grains

Guilherme Gabriel Ruffato,Deonir Secco,Aracéli Ciotti De Marins,Laís Fernanda Juchem Do Nascimento,Luciene Kazue Tokura,Pablo Chang,Bruna De Villa,Amauri Ghellere Garcia Miranda,Camila Nakoneczny Magalhães,Simone Andreia Roehrs,Matheus Rodrigues Savioli,Pedro Alexandre Develen Cardoso De Lima,Luiz Antônio Zanão Junior

doi:10.5539/jas.v11n5p309

Abstract

The intense agricultural machinery traffic over the plantation ground can lead the erosion and growth difficulty. The goal of this study was to evaluate the soya bean yield after the implantation of species named &ldquo;recoverable&rdquo;, of soil structure. The experiment was developed in plots of 20 m &times; 25 m, located in the Agronomic Institute of Parana (IAPAR), in Santa Tereza do Oeste, Paran&aacute;. The plots were cultivated by direct sowing of the following species, considered as treatments: sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea), rattlebox (Crotalaria spectabilis), velvet bean (Mucuna aterrima), pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan), dwarf pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) beside them no-tillage and no-cover crop planting traditional system (control). Soil samples were collected from 0-10 cm, 10-20 cm, and 20-30 cm-layers with 4 repetitions on each treatment. Soil density and porous soil space were also determined. The plot yield of soybean grains was evaluated over an area of 4.5 m2 for each treatment and grain moisture corrected to 13%. The treatments&rsquo; mean yields were compared using the Tukey test at 5% probability. The dwarf pigeon pea and the rattlebox were the most efficient cover crops in the reduction of soil bulk density in 0-10 and 10-20 cm depths. The soybean grain yield did not differ between the evaluated treatments, possibly due to the good precipitation conditions during the soybean growing cycle.

Highlights

The search for an adequate management system has attracted interest from researchers and agricultural producers
The no-tillage system (NTS) is the system that has been used in the region, since there is less soil disturbance and greater conservation of soil physical characteristics
The use of soil under this management system is often associated with intense machine traffic, which contributes to altering the soil structural quality, which leads to increased compaction (Bergamin et al, 2010)

Summary

Introduction

The search for an adequate management system has attracted interest from researchers and agricultural producers. The no-tillage system (NTS) is the system that has been used in the region, since there is less soil disturbance and greater conservation of soil physical characteristics. According to Ferreira et al (2011) a soil without its structure stable may present complications in plant growth and development. The NTS aims at three aspects: conservation of the structure, elevation of organic matter, and possibility of crop rotation in short periods of the year. The absence of soil revolving, crop rotation and permanent soil cover with plants or cultural remains improve the soil structural condition. The use of soil under this management system is often associated with intense machine traffic, which contributes to altering the soil structural quality, which leads to increased compaction (Bergamin et al, 2010)

Objectives

Methods

Results