Abstract
Agricultural sustainability of areas in semiarid region, is directly related to soil management, emphasizing especially the continuous coverage strategy. In this sense, this study aimed to evaluate the influence of perennial legumes on soil coverage, temperature and moisture in the semiarid region of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The study used a randomized blocks experimental, with 9 m 2 , design and treatments consisted of bare soil cultivated with the following legumes: tropical kudzu ( Pueraria phaseoloides ), calopo ( Calopogonium mucunoides ), perennial peanut ( Arachis pintoi ), perennial soybean ( Glycine wightii ) and stylosanthes Campo Grande (mixture of Stylosanthes capitata and Stylosanthes macrocephala ), with four replications. Soil coverage, temperature and moisture rates were evaluated. Due to the soil protection provided by the biomass production, the use and management of cover plants in semiarid region of Minas Gerais contributed to the temperature reduction and to the conservation of soil moisture, both essential for the agricultural production in this region. Calopo, tropical kudzu and perennial peanut provided greater soil coverage and, consequently, they provided greater reduction in temperature and higher moisture retention in soil. In more advanced stages of the cycle, the perennial soybean also provided good soil coverage, temperature reduction and moisture retention in the soil.
Highlights
In tropical regions, agricultural soils exposed to climatic, thermal and water phenomena need continuous protection in order to maintain their productive conditions
The adoption of the green manure practice performed with species of the family Fabaceae may represent an important strategy in the pursuit of the sustainability of the agroecosystems in this biome, given the benefits to the soil such as: permanent protection against the major causative agents of soil degradation (LEITE et al, 2010), maintenance of moisture, decrease in maximum temperatures and thermal amplitude of the soil (TORRES et al, 2006), in addition to the supply of N by biological fixation (GAMA-RODRIGUES et al, 2007), among other benefits, especially with the use of perennial herbaceous species, which have great potential as soil coverage, for covering the ground for some months or throughout the year (PERIN et al, 2009)
The study used a randomized blocks experimental design and treatments consisted of bare soil cultivated with the following legumes: tropical kudzu (Pueraria phaseoloides), calopo (Calopogonium mucunoides), perennial peanut (Arachis pintoi), perennial soybean (Glycine wightii) and stylosanthes Campo Grande, with four replications
Summary
Agricultural soils exposed to climatic, thermal and water phenomena need continuous protection in order to maintain their productive conditions. The adoption of the green manure practice performed with species of the family Fabaceae may represent an important strategy in the pursuit of the sustainability of the agroecosystems in this biome, given the benefits to the soil such as: permanent protection against the major causative agents of soil degradation (LEITE et al, 2010), maintenance of moisture, decrease in maximum temperatures and thermal amplitude of the soil (TORRES et al, 2006), in addition to the supply of N by biological fixation (GAMA-RODRIGUES et al, 2007), among other benefits, especially with the use of perennial herbaceous species, which have great potential as soil coverage, for covering the ground for some months or throughout the year (PERIN et al, 2009)
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