Efficiency of an agrosystem designed for family farming in the pre-Amazon region

2010 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alana das Chagas Ferreira Aguiar ◽  
Idelfonso Colares de Freitas ◽  
Cristina Silva Carvalho ◽  
Paulo Henrique Marques Monroe ◽  
Emanoel Gomes de Moura
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Alley Cropping ◽  
Secondary Forest ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Total Biomass ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Annual Legumes ◽  
No Till ◽  
Sunn Hemp

AbstractIn the humid tropics, the continuous use of the same area reduces nutrient availability and increases the incidence of weeds. To circumvent these obstacles, farmers practice itinerant agriculture associated with slashing and burning with negative effects on the local and global environment. In search for a suitable system for humid tropical agriculture, the objective of this study was to investigate the performance of no-till alley cropping in conjunction with the use of annual legume crops grown during the off-season. The experiment was implemented in a one-hectare alley cropping system in which the leguminous tree clitoria (Clitoria fairchildiana R.A. Howard) was used. The experimental design consisted of randomized blocks with four replications of the following treatments: Stylosanthis (Stylosanthis capitata), showey rattlebox (Crotalaria spectabilis), sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea), jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis) and a control with clitoria alone, without an annual legume. In January 2007 and 2008, maize was planted in each alley. One hundred and twenty days after annual legumes were sown, the total biomass was recorded. Weed incidence was assessed 35 days after maize planting. Analyses of the C, N, P, K, Ca and Mg contents of the legumes were carried out. To assess soil organic matter (SOM), composite soil samples from the surface 0–5 cm were collected from experimental plots. Two adjacent areas were also sampled for comparison: a 10-year-old secondary forest and an area of conventional tillage. The SOM was fractionated using a densitometric and a granulometric method. Conventional systems reduce the silt and free light organic matter fractions more than no till. The use of annual legumes changes the composition of the weed community, replacing the more aggressive types with those less competitive. The use of showy rattlebox (C. spectabilis) may be an effective strategy for reducing weed density in the long-season crop. Furthermore, relative to the use of leguminous trees alone, higher yields of maize can be obtained with the use of showy rattlebox (C. spectabilis) and sunn hemp (C. juncea) without the application of additional N.

Biorational approaches to managingDatura stramonium

Weed Science ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 750-756 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianhua Zhang ◽  
Maria L. Salas ◽  
Nicholas R. Jordan ◽  
Stephen C. Weller
Keyword(s):  
Weed Management ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Datura Stramonium ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
No Till ◽  
Study Support

Field experiments were conducted from 1995 to 1997 to test approaches to managing atrazine-resistantDatura stramonium. Eight weed management programs in aZea maysandGlycine maxrotation were evaluated for their effects on the dynamics of atrazine-resistant and -susceptibleD. stramoniumpopulations. OverallD. stramoniumdensity and relative abundance of resistant (R) biotypes were greatly reduced in no-tillSecale cerealeL. (rye) cover crop management programs without triazine compared to conventional-tillage systems with the application of triazine herbicides. The negative effects of no-till onD. stramoniumwere greater under aG. max–Z. mays—G. max(SCS) rotation than under aZ. mays–G. max—Z. mays(CSC) rotation. A cropping system involving moreG. maxphases under no-till reduced both the resistant and susceptibleD. stramoniumpopulations. Results from this study support the use of soil management, crop rotation, and negative cross-resistant herbicides to manage atrazine-resistant biotypes.

Tillage and root heat stress in wheat in central Alberta

2007 ◽  
Vol 87 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Wang ◽  
R. Lemke ◽  
T. Goddard ◽  
C. Sprout
Keyword(s):  
Heat Stress ◽  
Grain Growth ◽  
Growth Stage ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Wheat Root ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Stress Index ◽  
Canadian Prairies ◽  
No Till ◽  
Soil Temperatures

Heat stress occurs often in wheat on the Canadian Prairies especially during reproductive growth, which has markedly negative impacts on yield. As previous studies reported that wheat growth was affected more by heat stress in roots than in shoot, we suspected that the cooling effect of no-till (NT) on soil may reduce the risk of root heat stress and benefit the yield compared with conventional tillage (CT). Data were collected between 2000 and 2003 from a tillage study using a continuous wheat cropping system on a Thin Black Chernozemic clay loam in central Alberta. Consistently lower soil temperatures at 5 and 10 cm in NT than CT were observed in the whole growing season every year. At the grain growth stage, NT mitigated heat shock (>32°C at 5 cm) which occurred in 2001 and 2002 under CT and considerably reduced root heat stress index (HSI), calculated as accumulations of hourly soil temperatures greater than 20°C, every year compared with CT. By reducing root heat stress especially during the grain growth stage and slightly increasing pre-seeding soil moisture, no-till increased above-ground biomass (33–160%) and grain yield (18–147%) every year except 2003 when heat and water stress were relatively mild. Key words: Heat stress, soil temperature, no-till, conventional tillage, wheat, root

scholarly journals Spatial variability of microbial biomass and organic matter labile pools in a haplic planosol soil

Bragantia ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 69 (suppl) ◽  
pp. 85-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Campana Loureiro ◽  
Helvécio De-Polli ◽  
Marcos Bacis Ceddia ◽  
Adriana Maria de Aquino
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Spatial Variability ◽  
Spatial Dependence ◽  
Alley Cropping ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
C And N

The objective of this work was to study the spatial variability of soil microbial biomass (SMB) and labile soil organic matter pools (labile SOM), under different management systems and plant cover. The experiment was conducted in a Haplic Planosol soil on an Integrated Agroecological Production System (SIPA), in Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro. The evaluated management systems were: alley cropping, pasture, and bush garden, the late one was used as reference area. Three grids of regular spacing of 2.5 x 2.5 meters were used for sampling, consisting of 25 georeferenced points each, where soil samples were taken at 0-10 cm depth. The following labile constituents of soil organic matter were determined: free light fraction (FLF), water soluble C and N, C and N of SMB (SMB-C and SMB-N), and glomalin content. The textural fractions (sand, silt, and clay), pH in water, and chemical attributes (organic C, total N, Ca, Mg, Al, P, K, and CEC-cation exchange capacity) were also determined. The areas of alley cropping and pasture showed spatial dependence to the attributes of SOM. The occurrence of high spatial dependence for the attributes associated to microbial biomass in the alley cropping system (C, FLF, SMB-N and respiration), probably was due to external factors related to management, such as: intensive rotational cropping system, diversity of crops and different inputs of organic matter to soil such as pruning material and organic compost.

scholarly journals SOCIOECONOMIC ASSESSMENT OF NO-TILL IN WHEAT CROPPING SYSTEM: A CASE STUDY IN ALGERIA

New Medit ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amar Rouabhi ◽  
Abdelmalek Laouar ◽  
Abdelhamid Mekhlouk ◽  
Boubaker Dhehibi
Keyword(s):  
North Africa ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Gross Margin ◽  
Work Time ◽  
System A ◽  
No Till

This paper aimed at the socioeconomic appraisal of two cropping systems namely no-till and tilled wheat in Sétif region (Algeria). The study based on a sample of 28 adherent farms in an international project of Conservation Agriculture adoption for smallholders in North Africa. Economic diagnosis showed that no-till system performed best with a gross margin difference of $ 84/ha in comparison with conventional tilled wheat. Moreover, no-till recorded less work time and fuel consumption, with 241minutes/ha and 42 liters/ha against 624 minutes/ha and 99 liters/ha for conventional tillage. Though, no-till still faced some local social and technical constraints that are relatively easy to overcome. If Algeria put forward its best efforts through increasing no-till in the suitable zones, many objectives could be achieved in the context of preserving natural resources and building up farming sustainability. It could be also a key solution for “Intended Nationally Determined Contribution” (INDCs) schemes to meet Algerian commitments regarding “Paris Agreement” on climate change.

Soil Quality Indicators in Conventional and Conservation Tillage Systems in the Brazilian Cerrado

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luiz Alberto da Silva Rodrigues Pinto ◽  
Sandra Santana de Lima ◽  
Cristiane Figueira da Silva ◽  
Rafael Gomes da Mota Gonçalves ◽  
Igor de Sousa Morais ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Conservation Tillage ◽  
Soil Aggregates ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Soil Aggregation ◽  
Reference Area ◽  
Quality Indices ◽  
Tillage Systems ◽  
No Till

Abstract Conventional and conservation tillage systems can alter soil aggregation and total and labile soil organic matter (SOM) contents. This study aimed to determine the degree of soil aggregation, quantify total carbon (TC), permanganate oxidizable carbon (POXC), light organic matter (LOM), and potentially mineralizable carbon (CO2-C) contents in soils aggregates, and assess soil quality indices at sites under conventional and conservation tillage in the Cerrado region of Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Four experimental areas were analyzed: a area under conventional tillage for 20 years, a area under no-till for 6 years, a area under no-till for 18 years, and a reference area of undisturbed Cerrado vegetation. Soil aggregates retained on 8.0 to 4.0 mm sieves were evaluated for size class distribution and mean weight diameter. TC, POXC, LOM, daily and total CO2-C emissions were also analyzed. These data were used to calculate the C/N ratio and sensitivity, carbon pool, and lability indices. The results of SOM compartments were in agreement with those obtained for the soil aggregation status. Environmental conditions at no-till areas promoted macroaggregate formation and preserved TC and LOM contents, resulting in a high degree of aggregate stability. Soil quality indices were sensitive to identify changes between the reference area and managed areas. Soil aggregates from no-till areas had higher CO2-C emissions and accumulations than those from the conventional tillage area.

Soil microbial and nematode communities as affected by glyphosate and tillage practices in a glyphosate-resistant cropping system

Weed Science ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 536-545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Konanani B. Liphadzi ◽  
Kassim Al-Khatib ◽  
Curtis N. Bensch ◽  
Phillip W. Stahlman ◽  
J. Anita Dille ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cropping System ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Substrate Utilization ◽  
Community Response ◽  
Nematode Communities ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Tillage Practices ◽  
No Till ◽  
Herbicide Treatments

Field experiments were conducted at Ashland Bottoms in northeastern Kansas and at Hays in western Kansas in 2001, 2002, and 2003 to determine the response of soil microbial and nematode communities to different herbicides and tillage practices under a glyphosate-resistant cropping system. Conventional herbicide treatments were a tank mixture of cloransulam plusS-metolachlor plus sulfentrazone for soybean and a commercially available mixture of acetochlor and atrazine for corn. Glyphosate was applied at 1.12 kg ai ha−1when weeds were 10 or 20 cm tall in both corn and soybean. Soil samples were collected monthly at Ashland Bottoms during the growing period for soil microbial biomass (SMB) carbon determination. In addition, substrate-induced respiration (SIR) and BIOLOG substrate utilization were determined at the end of the growing season each year at Ashland Bottoms, and nematode populations were determined at the beginning and the end of the growing season at both sites. Direct effects of glyphosate rates on soil microbial and nematode communities were also studied in a controlled environment. Values for SMB carbon, SIR, and BIOLOG substrate utilization were not altered by glyphosate. Nematode community response to the glyphosate treatment was similar under both conventional tillage and no-till environments. Total nematode densities were similar with the glyphosate and conventional herbicide treatments. SMB carbon and BIOLOG substrate utilization did not differ between tillage treatments. Nematode densities were greater under conventional tillage than in the no-till system. This study showed that soil health when glyphosate was applied in a glyphosate-resistant cropping system was similar to that of cropping systems that used conventional herbicides.

Stratification ratio of organic matter pools influenced by management systems in a weathered Oxisol from a tropical agro-ecoregion in Brazil

Soil Research ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 133 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. C. Figueiredo ◽  
D. V. S. Resck ◽  
M. A. C. Carneiro ◽  
M. L. G. Ramos ◽  
J. C. M. Sá
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Microbial Biomass Carbon ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Carbon Stocks ◽  
Total Carbon ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
No Till ◽  
The Impact

Enhancement of organic matter plays an essential role in improving soil quality for supporting sustainable food production. Changes in carbon stocks with impacts on emissions of greenhouse gases may result from the stratification of organic matter as a result of soil use. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of soil management systems on soil carbon stocks and stratification ratios (SR) of soil organic matter pools. Total organic carbon (TOC), particulate organic carbon (POC), mineral-associated organic carbon, microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and nitrogen, basal respiration, and particulate organic matter nitrogen (PON) were determined. The field experiment comprised several tillage treatments: conventional tillage, no-till with biannual rotation, no-till with biannual rotation combined with a second crop, no-till with annual rotation, and pasture. The labile fractions indicated a high level of variation among management systems. Pasture proved to be an excellent option for the improvement of soil carbon. While the conventional tillage system reduced total carbon stocks of the soil (0–40 cm), no-tillage presented TOC stocks similar to that of native vegetation. Sensitivity of the TOC SR varied from 0.93 to 1.28, a range of 0.35; the range for POC was 1.76 and for MBC 1.64. The results support the hypothesis that the labile fractions (POC, MBC, and PON) are highly sensitive to the dynamics of organic matter in highly weathered soils of tropical regions influenced by different management systems. Reductions to SRs of labile organic matter pools are related to the impacts of agricultural use of Cerrado soils.

CHEMICAL DIFFERENCES IN DARK BROWN CHERNOZEMIC Ap HORIZONS UNDER VARIOUS CONSERVATION TILLAGE SYSTEMS

1989 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 481-488 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. DORMAAR ◽  
C. W. LINDWALL
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Winter Wheat ◽  
Conservation Tillage ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Soil Tillage ◽  
Tillage Systems ◽  
No Till ◽  
Southern Alberta ◽  
Chemical Fallow ◽  
Extractable Organic Matter

The Ap horizons of two conservation tillage studies on Dark Brown Chernozemic soils in southern Alberta were sampled in 1986 following the fallow year. The first study, started in 1967, consisted of a wheat-fallow rotation under either no-till chemical fallow, blade-cultivate, or chemical fallow + blade-cultivate management. The second study, started in 1977, consisted of continuous winter wheat, winter wheat-barley-fallow, and winter wheat-fallow rotations under either no-till or conventional tillage management. Nine years of no-till continuous wheat and 19 yr of no-till in a wheat-fallow rotation both led to 40% of the dry aggregates being > 0.84 mm in diameter. The parameters selected helped to characterize differences in organic matter between soil tillage systems. Dehydrogenase and phosphatase activities were twice as high under no-till as under the blade-cultivate treatment. No-till also led to the largest monosaccharide accumulation in the soil. Carbohydrates, solvent-extractable organic matter, and chitin N were significantly higher in the > 0.84 mm diameter dry aggregates from the no-till treatment. The monosaccarides under the blade-cultivate regime were generally of microbial origin whereas those under the no-till regime were generally of plant origin. Key words: Water-stable aggregates, dry aggregates, enzyme activities, organic carbon, monosaccharides, fallow

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