Nutrient concentrations in soil solution of some Brazilian Oxisols under conventional and no-tillage systems in the early part of the rainy season

Soil Research ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 851 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliane Lilienfein ◽  
Wolfgang Wilcke ◽  
Samuel do Carmo Lima ◽  
Lourival Vilela ◽  
Richard Thomas ◽  
...  

In the South American savanna, no-tillage (NT) is implemented to improve the sustainability of cropping systems. At the beginning of the rainy season, however, more plant nutrients may be leached under NT than under conventional tillage (CT) because of more pronounced organic matter mineralisation and increased pore continuity. To test this hypothesis, we analysed the chemical composition of the soil solution under conventional (CT) and no-tillage (NT) soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) fields in the Brazilian savanna (Cerrados). We collected the soil solution at 0.15, 0.3, 0.8, 1.2, and 2 m depth and the precipitation in 1- to 3-day intervals from 28 October to 23 December 1998 on plots under CT and NT, replicated 3 times. We determined pH, electrical conductivity (EC), Ca, K, Mg, Na, NO3– , NH4+, Cl–, and total organic carbon (TOC) concentrations in soil solution and precipitation. Soil solution pH under NT was 0.3–0.8 units lower than under CT and was inversely related to TOC concentrations (average under NT, 1.02; CT, 0.70 mmol C/L) at all depths. Average Cl– , Ca, and Mg concentrations at 0.15–0.3 m depth were significantly higher under CT (1.09, 1.1, and 0.25 mmol/L) than under NT (0.50, 0.83, and 0.17 mmol/L), respectively. No difference was observed in average Na (0.09 mmol/L) and NO3– concentrations (2.2 mmol/L) between CT and NT. At 0.8–2 m, average NO3– (0.30 mmol/L), Cl– (0.18 mmol/L), Ca (0.19 mmol/L), Mg (0.05 mmol/L), and Na (0.04 mmol/L) concentrations under CT were significantly lower than under NT (NO3– , 0.38; Cl– , 0.40; Ca, 0.23; Mg, 0.09; Na, 0.06 mmol/L). In the monitored period, the Cl– which had accumulated during the dry season and which was applied with KCl fertiliser on 29 October reached a depth of 0.3 m under CT and of 1.2m under NT. The results suggest higher mineralisation rates and faster leaching in the NT than in the CT systems, being the combined result of different plowing practices and different cropping sequences.

2003 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. C. Mendes ◽  
M. Hungria ◽  
M. A. T. Vargas

In Brazil, Bradyrhizobium inoculation has successfully replaced the use of N fertilizer on soybean [Glycine max (L) Merr.] crops. However, with the expansion of no-tillage cropping systems in the Cerrados region, the idea that it is necessary to use small N rates at the sowing to overcome problems related with N immobilization has become widespread, mainly when soybean is cultivated after a non-legume crop. In this study we examined soybean response to small rates of N fertilizer under no-tillage (NT) and conventional tillage (CT) systems. Four experiments (a completely randomized block with five replicates) were carried out in a red yellow oxisol, during the periods of 1998/1999 and 1999/ 2000, under NT and CT. The treatments consisted of four urea rates (0, 20, 30 and 40 kg ha-1 N). All treatments were inoculated with Bradyrhizobium japonicum strains SEMIA 5080 and SEMIA 5079, in the proportion 1 kg of peat inoculant (1,5 x 10(9) cells g-1) per 50 kg of seeds. In both experiments, soybean was cultivated after corn and the N fertilizer was band applied at sowing. In all experiments, N rates promoted reductions of up to 50 % in the nodule number at 15 days after the emergence. Regardless of the management system, these reductions disappeared at the flowering stage and there was no effect of N rates on either the number and dry weight of nodules or on soybean yields. Therefore, in the Brazilian Cerrados, when an efficient symbiosis is established, it is not necessary to apply starter N rates on soybean, even when cultivated under notillage systems.


2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Blessing Mhlanga ◽  
Laura Ercoli ◽  
Elisa Pellegrino ◽  
Andrea Onofri ◽  
Christian Thierfelder

AbstractConservation agriculture has been promoted to sustainably intensify food production in smallholder farming systems in southern Africa. However, farmers have rarely fully implemented all its components, resulting in different combinations of no-tillage, crop rotation, and permanent soil cover being practiced, thus resulting in variable yield responses depending on climatic and soil conditions. Therefore, it is crucial to assess the effect of conservation agriculture components on yield stability. We hypothesized that the use of all three conservation agriculture components would perform the best, resulting in more stable production in all environments. We evaluated at, eight trial locations across southern Africa, how partial and full implementation of these components affected crop yield and yield stability compared with conventional tillage alone or combined with mulching and/or crop rotation. Grain yield and shoot biomass of maize and cowpea were recorded along with precipitation for 2 to 5 years. Across different environments, the addition of crop rotation and mulch to no-tillage increased maize grain by 6%, and the same practices added to conventional tillage led to 13% yield increase. Conversely, adding only mulch or crop rotation to no-tillage or conventional tillage led to lower or equal maize yield. Stability analyses based on Shukla’s index showed for the first time that the most stable systems are those in which mulch is added without crop rotation. Moreover, the highest yielding systems were the least stable. Finally, additive main effects and multiplicative interaction analysis allowed clarifying that mulch added to no-tillage gives stable yields on sandy soil with high rainfall. Similarly, mulch added to conventional tillage gives stable yield on sandy soil, but under low rainfall. This is the first study that highlighted the crucial role of mulch to enhance the stability and resilience of cropping systems in southern Africa, supporting their adaptability to climate change.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (15) ◽  
pp. 6103
Author(s):  
Ali reza Safahani Langeroodi ◽  
Roberto Mancinelli ◽  
Emanuele Radicetti

Quinoa cultivation is well-adapted to sustainable cropping systems, even if seed yield could be severely limited due to several constraints, such as weeds. Field trials were performed in Gorgan (Iran) to quantify the effects of agro-ecological service crops (rye, CCr; winter vetch, CCw; and no cover, CC0), tillage regimes (conventional tillage, CT; and no-tillage, ZT), and herbicide rates (100% rate, H100; 75% rate, H75; and without herbicide, H0). Weed characteristics and quinoa yield were measured. Quinoa seed yield was the highest in CCw-ZT-H100. Seed yield in H100 and H75 were higher compared with H0 (2.30 vs. 1.58 t ha−1, respectively). Under conventional tillage, 46% of weed seeds were observed in the 0–10 cm soil layer and 54% in 10–20 cm soil layers, respectively, while, under no-tillage, about 63% of weed seeds were located up to 10 cm of soil. Amaranthus retroflexus L. was the most abundant species. The total weed density was the lowest in CCr-ZT-H100 and tended to be higher in CC0 (30.9 plant m−2) and under CT (29.0 plant m−2). These findings indicate that cover crops have potential for managing weeds in quinoa; however, their inclusion should be supported by chemical means to maintain high seed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Djavan Pinheiro Santos ◽  
Robélio Leandro Marchão ◽  
Ronny Sobreira Barbosa ◽  
Juvenal Pereira da Silva Junior ◽  
Everaldo Moreira da Silva ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT: The soil macrofauna is fundamental for the maintenance of soil quality. The aim of this study was to characterize the soil macrofauna under different species of cover crops, including monoculture or intercropping associated to two types of soil management in the southwest region of Piauí state. The study was carried out in an Oxisol (Latossolo Amarelo, according to Brazilian Soil Classification System) in the municipality of Bom Jesus, Piauí, distributed in 30 m2 plots. Testing and evaluation of the soil macrofauna were conducted in a 9 × 2 strip factorial design, with combinations between cover crops/consortia and soil management (with or without tillage), with four replications. Soil monoliths (0.25 × 0.25 m) were randomly sampled in each plot for macrofauna at 0‒0.1, 0.1‒0.2, and 0.2‒0.3 m depth, including surface litter. After identification and counting of soil organims, the relative density of each taxon in each depth was determined. The total abundance of soil macrofauna quantified under cover crops in the conventional and no-tillage system was 2,408 ind. m-2, distributed in 6 classes, 16 orders, and 31 families. The results of multivariate analysis show that grass species in sole cropping systems and no-tillage presents higher macrofauna density, in particular the taxonomic group Isoptera. No-tillage also provided higher richness of families, where Coleoptera adult were the second more abundant group in no-tillage and Hemiptera in conventional tillage.


2020 ◽  
Vol 158 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 38-46
Author(s):  
Bharati Kollah ◽  
Mahendra Bakoriya ◽  
Garima Dubey ◽  
Rakesh Parmar ◽  
J. Somasundaram ◽  
...  

AbstractMethane (CH4) consumption in agricultural soil is imperative for the mitigation of climate change. However, the effect of tillage and cropping systems on CH4 consumption is less studied. Experiments were carried out in Madhya Pradesh, India with soybean-wheat (SW), maize-wheat (MW) and maize-gram (MG) cropping systems under conventional tillage (CT) and no-tillage (NT). Soybean/maize was cultivated during the kharif season (July–October) and wheat/chickpea in the rabi season (October–March) for 9 years consecutively. Soil samples were collected during vegetative growth stages of soybean and maize from different cropping systems. Methane consumption, the abundance of methanotrophs as particulate methane monooxygenase (pmoA) gene copies, soil and crop parameters were estimated. Methane consumption rate was higher in NT and upper soil layer (0–5 cm) than CT and 5–15 cm depth. Methane consumption rate k ranged from 0.35 to 0.56 μg CH4 consumed/g soil/d in the order of MW>SW>MG in 0–5 cm. The abundance of pmoA gene copies ranged from 43 × 104/g soil to 13 × 104/g soil and was highest in MW-NT and lowest in MG-CT. Available nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were higher in 0–5 cm than in 5–15 cm depth. Soil and plant parameters and abundance of pmoA genes correlated significantly and positively with CH4 consumption rate. No-tillage stimulated CH4 consumption compared to CT irrespective of cropping system and CH4 consumption potential was highest in MW and lowest in MG. However, the magnitude of the positive effect of NT towards CH4 consumption was higher in SW and MG than MW.


2010 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-22
Author(s):  
Waldir Aparecido Marouelli ◽  
Rômulo P Abdalla ◽  
Nuno R Madeira ◽  
Henoque R da Silva ◽  
Aureo S de Oliveira

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of crop residue covers (0.0; 4.5; 9.0; 13.5 t ha-1 millet dry matter) on water use and production of onion cultivated in no-tillage planting system (NT) as compared to conventional tillage system (CT). The study was carried out at Embrapa Hortaliças, Brazil, under the typical Savanna biome. Irrigations were performed using a sprinkle irrigation system when soil-water tension reached between 25 and 30 kPa. The experimental design was randomized blocks with three replications. Total net water depth applied to NT treatment was 19% smaller than the CT treatment, however, water savings increased to 30% for the first 30 days following seedlings transplant. Crop biomass, bulb size and yield, and rate of rotten bulbs were not significantly affected by treatments. The water productivity index increased linearly with increasing crop residue in NT conditions. Water productivity index of NT treatments with crop residue was on average 30% higher than that in the CT system (8.13 kg m-3).


1973 ◽  
Vol 65 (6) ◽  
pp. 978-982 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. O. Sanford ◽  
D. L. Myhre ◽  
Norman C. Merwine

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Huang ◽  
Ge Chen ◽  
Fangbo Cao ◽  
Jiana Chen

Abstract Fallow weeds are more and more common in Chinese rice cropping systems, but are always excluded in studies of vegetative carbon (C) sinks. This study aimed to evaluate the C fixation potential of fallow weeds in rice cropping systems. A six-region, two-year on-farm investigation and a three-year tillage experiment were conducted to estimate C fixation in fallow weeds in rice cropping systems. The on-farm investigation showed that the average mean C fixation in fallow weeds across six regions and two years reached 112 g m–2. The tillage experiment indicated that no-tillage practices increased C fixation in fallow weeds by 80% on average as compared with conventional tillage. The results of this study not only contribute to an understanding of C fixation potential of fallow weeds in rice cropping systems, but also provide a reference for including fallow weeds in the estimation of vegetative C sink. Further investigations are required to determine the effect of C input from fallow weeds on C balance of rice paddies in order to comprehensively evaluate the role of fallow weeds in C cycling in rice cropping systems.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (03) ◽  
Author(s):  
ARBIND K. CHOUDHARY ◽  
RAKESH KUMAR ◽  
KUL BHUSHAN SAXENA ◽  
ANIL KUMAR SINGH

The temporal and spatial intensity of rainfall in north-east plains (Central and Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Assom and North-Eastern states) often leads to temporary waterlogging, causing partial to complete mortality of pigeonpea seedlings during rainy season. Post-rainy season (September) plantings may be adopted as an alternate approach to address the issue of waterlogging and crop diversification. Research conducted at the ICAR-RCER, Patna has shown that sowing of ‘Pusa 9’ during second week of September after harvest of quality protein green cob maize provided up to 3.0 t/ha grain yield under zero tillage with optimum crop management practices (one hand weeding, one-two insecticide spray of imidacloroprid @1mL/L water at 10 days’ interval commencing from second fortnight of February). Similarly, ‘IPA 203’ sown on September 20, 2018 yielded more than 3.0 t/ha under conventional tillage practices (N: P: K: 20:50:0; two hand weeding; one irrigation during second fortnight of December and two spray of the same insecticide at the same interval). These findings indicate that the system is agronomically feasible, economically highly remunerative and ecologically sustainable to bring about diversification in upland ecology of north-east plains of India.


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