scholarly journals Phosphorus acquisition from phosphate rock by soil cover crops, maize, and a buckwheat–maize cropping system

2022 ◽  
Vol 79 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Valéria Adriele Lopes ◽  
Marcelo Chan Fu Wei ◽  
Tainá Martins Cardoso ◽  
Eder de Souza Martins ◽  
José Carlos Casagrande ◽  
...  
Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 441
Author(s):  
Hans J. Kandel ◽  
Dulan P. Samarappuli ◽  
Kory L. Johnson ◽  
Marisol T. Berti

Adoption of cover crop interseeding in the northwestern Corn Belt in the USA is limited due to inadequate fall moisture for establishment, short growing season, additional costs, and need for adapted winter-hardy species. This study evaluated three cover crop treatments—no cover crop, winter rye (Secale cereale L.), and winter camelina (Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz)—which were interseeded at the R6 soybean growth stage, using two different soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) maturity groups (0.5 vs. 0.9) and two row spacings (30.5 vs. 61 cm). The objective was to evaluate these treatments on cover crop biomass, soil cover, plant density, and soybean yield. Spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grain yield was also measured the following year. The early-maturing soybean cultivar (0.5 maturity) resulted in increased cover crop biomass and soil cover, with winter rye outperforming winter camelina. However, the early-maturing soybean yielded 2308 kg·ha−1, significantly less compared with the later maturing cultivar (2445 kg·ha−1). Narrow row spacing had higher soybean yield, but row spacing did not affect cover crop growth. Spring wheat should not follow winter rye if rye is terminated right before seeding the wheat. However, wheat planted after winter camelina was no different than when no cover crop was interseeded in soybean. Interseeding cover crops into established soybean is possible, however, cover crop biomass accumulation and soil cover are limited.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni Antonio Puliga ◽  
Jan Thiele ◽  
Hauke Ahnemann ◽  
Jens Dauber

In agroecosystems, crop diversification plays a fundamental role in maintaining and regenerating biodiversity and ecosystem services, such as natural pest control. Temporal diversification of cropping systems can affect the presence and activity of natural enemies by providing alternative hosts and prey, food, and refuges for overwintering. However, we still lack studies on the effects of temporal diversification on generalist predators and their biocontrol potential conducted at field scale in commercial agricultural settings. Here, we measured proxies of ecosystem functions related with biological pest control in 29 commercial agricultural fields characterized by cereal-based cropping system in Lower-Saxony, northern Germany. The fields differed in the number of crops and cover crops cultivated during the previous 12 years. Using the Rapid Ecosystem Function Assessment approach, we measured invertebrate predation, seed predation and activity density of generalist predators. We aimed at testing whether the differences in the crop rotations from the previous years would affect activity of predators and their predation rates in the current growing season. We found that the length of the crop rotation had neutral effects on the proxies measured. Furthermore, predation rates were generally lower if the rotation comprised a higher number of cover crops compared to rotation with less cover crops. The activity density of respective taxa of predatory arthropods responded differently to the number of cover crops in the crop rotation. Our results suggest that temporal crop diversity may not benefit the activity and efficiency of generalist predators when diversification strategies involve crops of very similar functional traits. Adding different resources and traits to the agroecosystems through a wider range of cultivated crops and the integration of semi-natural habitats are aspects that need to be considered when developing more diverse cropping systems aiming to provide a more efficient natural pest control.


Author(s):  
Daiana Jungbluth ◽  
Ana Regina Dahlem Ziech ◽  
Camila Roberta Pereira ◽  
Márcia Cristina Dos Santos ◽  
Patrick Machado

The no-till system has been growing over the years and for this system to be successful, it is essential to maintain permanent vegetation cover over the soil, an adequate crop rotation system with minimal overturning. A strategy for soil protection is to introduce species of cover crops in winter under single or intercropping. The objective was to evaluate the rate of soil cover by intercropping between black oats (Avena strigosa L.) and forage turnip (Raphanus sativus L.) at different sowing densities, as well as the isolated species in terms of soil protection under no-tillage. The study was conducted at the Federal Technological University of Paraná (UTFPR), campus Santa Helena, with a randomized block design, with five treatments and three repetitions. The treatments were: 100% black oats (BO); 100% forage turnip (FT); 75% BO + 25% FT; 50% BO + 50% FT and 25% BO + 75% FT. The cover crops were sown in May 2019. The percentage of soil cover from 21 to 91 days after sowing (DAS) was evaluated using the photographic method, with weekly collection of images in an area delimited by a metallic frame (25 m²), positioned on the ground at two fixed points per plot. The coverage rate quantification was estimated by overlaying a grid with 100 points of intersection over each image. The rate of soil cover by consortia and single crops did not show a statistically significant difference. To 49 days, consortia had coverage equal to or greater than 70%, while for single species, this percentage was reached at 56 DAS and 70 DAS, for BO and FT, respectively. All treatments showed high potential for soil protection and coverage rate from 70 DAS.


2019 ◽  
pp. 1578-1585
Author(s):  
Catia Aparecida Simon ◽  
Sebastião Ferreira de Lima ◽  
Meire Silvestrini Cordeiro ◽  
Vinícius Andrade Secco ◽  
Guilherme Nacata ◽  
...  

Carbon sources are exuded and deposited by different soil cover plants. They promote growth, diversity and enhancement of soil microbial community functionality, due to organic matter degradation by participating in major biochemical cycles and the availability of inorganic nutrients to plants. In this way, it is necessary to evaluate the microbiological attributes of the soil after cover cropping, which allows for surveying and monitoring the soil quality, thereby enabling rapid responses in relation to managing changes in the soil. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate soil microbiological attributes and soybean grain yield under the influence of different cover crops. The experiment was installed in the year 2015. The treatments were constituted by the following vegetation coverages: sorghum, millet, Urochloa ruziziensis, forage turnip, Urochloa brizantha, crambe and fallow area, with cover crops sown in succession to the soybean crop for three years prior to the date of installation of the experiment .The evaluated parameters were soil microbial biomass carbon, soil basal respiration, metabolic quotient, enzymatic activity of acid phosphatase and soil β-glucosidase, plant phytomass produced by the different cover crops and soybean yield in each area. The use of cover crops promotes higher soybean yield. The microbial activity and its efficiency were modulated according to the type of cover crop used. Soil under sorghum mulch provided lower microbial efficiency. The U. ruziziensis plant residues remain for less time on the soil. The results show that U. brizantha may be the most suitable for its use as a soil cover plant, providing improvements in its attributes.


Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1041 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Rodríguez-Lizana ◽  
Miguel Ángel Repullo-Ruibérriz de Torres ◽  
Rosa Carbonell-Bojollo ◽  
Manuel Moreno-García ◽  
Rafaela Ordóñez-Fernández

Cover crops (CC)s are increasingly employed by farmers in olive groves. Spontaneous soil cover is the most commonly used CC. Its continuous utilization changes ruderal flora. It is necessary to study new CCs. Living CCs provide C and nutrients to soil during decomposition. Information on this issue in olive groves is scarce. A 4-year field study involving grab sampling of Brachypodium distachyon, Sinapis alba and spontaneous CC residues was conducted to study C and nutrient release from cover crop residues. Throughout the decomposition cycles, C, N and P release accounted for 40 to 58% of the C, N and P amounts in the residues after mowing. Most K was released (80–90%). Expressed in kg per hectare, the release of C and N in Brachypodium (C: 4602, N: 181, P: 29, K: 231) and Sinapis (C: 4806, N: 152, P: 18, K: 195) was greater than that in spontaneous CC (C: 3115, N: 138, P: 21, K: 256). The opposite results were observed for K. The Rickman model, employed to estimate the amount of C, N and P in residues, yielded a good match between the simulated and measured values. In comparison to spontaneous CC, the newly proposed CCs have a higher potential to provide soil with C and N.


Nematology ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 919-926 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guilherme S. de Podestá ◽  
Rosangela Dallemole -Giaretta ◽  
Silamar Ferraz ◽  
Ernani Luis Agnes ◽  
Leandro Grasside Freitas ◽  
...  

AbstractThe objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of the combination of Pochonia chlamydosporia var. chlamydosporia with summer and winter cover plants on the control of Meloidogyne javanica on tomato plants under glasshouse conditions. Treatment combinations were with four soil covers (pearl millet and Surinam grass in Experiment 1, oil radish and black oat in Experiment 2; plus tomato and fallow controls) and two P. chlamydosporia treatments (with or without the fungus). The antagonist was applied to nematode-infested soil when the cover crops or tomato were planted. Tomato plants were removed and the above-ground parts of the cover crops were cut, dried, and placed on the pots 60 days after planting. One tomato seedling was transplanted in each pot in a no-tillage system and cultivated for 60 days. Surinam grass, pearl millet and black oat reduced galls and eggs of M. javanica by more than 90%, without application of the fungus. However, P. chlamydosporia + Surinam grass significantly reduced by 72% the number of galls compared with cultivation of the grass in soil without the fungus. Pochonia chlamydosporia became established in soil and could be re-isolated at the end of both experiments. Colony forming units (CFU) (g soil)–1 varied from 1.0 × 105 (fallow) to 2.6 × 105 (pearl millet) and from 1.1 × 105 (fallow) to 2.3 × 105 (oil radish) for the experiments with summer soil cover crops and winter soil cover crops, respectively. The cultivation of Surinam grass, pearl millet and black oat reduced M. javanica populations, and the combination with P. chlamydosporia may favour the establishment of the fungus in the soil and enhance the control of the nematode.


2018 ◽  
pp. 126-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Silvestri ◽  
Vittoria Giannini ◽  
Daniele Antichi

The risks of soil erosion and nutrient leaching can be considered appreciable in short rotation coppices especially in the first growth phases because of the absence of any plant cover. The temporary intercropping with legumes or grasses used as cover crops can help to overcome these environmental issues. The present research work aims to evaluate the effects of the introduction of cover crops in a short rotation poplar (Populus deltoides W. Bartram ex Marshall) with two-year harvest cycle. The plantation was located in a Typic Xerofluvent, silty-loam soil of the coastal Central Italy. Two different species of cover crops, Trifolium subterraneum L. (TS) and Lolium perenne L. (LP), were compared along with an untreated control, colonised by spontaneous vegetation (CO). Several plant and soil parameters were evaluated: the above ground biomass and nutrient accumulation for the three different soil cover types, the nitrate and water content in two soil layers (0.00-0.30 and 0.30-0.60 m), the poplar yield and nutrient content in branches and leaves. TS returned to the soil about 70 kg ha–1 of nitrogen at the end of its biological cycle, thanks to the high N content (over 2%) and to the noticeable amount of dry matter produced (3.46 t ha–1 of dry matter). This value was considerably higher than those of the LP (23 kg ha–1 of N) or CO (10 kg ha–1). The different amount of nitrogen returned to the soil affected both nitrate concentration in topsoil (0.00-0.30 m) and accumulation of nitrogen in poplar organs. Concerning phosphorous, the differences among treatments were less evident and the amount of P returned to the soil ranged from 2 (CO) to 10 (TS) kg ha–1. However, the effect of soil cover type on P uptake in poplar was still appreciable. Generally, the soil water content was slightly affected by the soil cover types. Indeed, the differences between the cover crops and the control became significant only in the shallowest soil layer and over the summer season. In the first year, LP induced a significant decrease in poplar yield (10.1 t ha–1 of dry matter) in comparison with TS (14.7 t ha–1) and CO (13.4 t ha–1), whereas in the second year there were no significant differences among treatments due to the weak regrowth of cover crops. These results show how to make it feasible a long lasting coexistence between cover crops and SRC, a clever design of agro-forestry systems is therefore needed.


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