ABSTRACT Subtropical Oxisols have a high phosphate adsorption capacity and consequently lower phosphorus (P) availability. Therefore, correct management of phosphate fertilization in grain crop rotations is essential to increase the P-use efficiency and minimize potential environmental impacts. This study aimed to evaluate, in soils with medium and high initial P level, fertilization strategies (crop and system fertilization) and placement’s effects (banded P and broadcast) on soil available P, crop yield, and P use efficiency. Two field trials were installed on […]

ABSTRACT Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices, mainly no-tillage (NT), cover cropping (CC), soil fertilization with organic amendments (OA), and crop-livestock (CL) and crop-livestock-forestry (CLF) systems, has been widely adopted in areas from Brazilian Cerrado. The CSA may partly offset former soil C losses and contribute to climate change mitigation. However, contradictory findings brought uncertainties about the effect of CSA on soil C. Here, by a systematic review of 87 papers and using 621 data pairs, we provided a pervasive biome-scale analysis […]

ABSTRACT Rice monoculture in lowlands can cause problems for management practices in crop fields, for example, in weed control. For this reason, corn in rotation with irrigated rice in lowlands may be advantageous, despite problems with soil compaction and water excess. The objective of this study was to evaluate soil physical properties and corn performance in soil management systems in an Albaqualf soil (lowlands). Two experiments were conducted in the field, in the 2013/14 and 2014/15 crop seasons. The experimental […]

ABSTRACT Management of biological nitrogen fixation in common bean still requires improvement. The objective of this study was to verify the compatibility of nitrogen fertilization with biological N2 fixation to increase common bean yield and profitability. Four field experiments were performed in four municipalities of Minas Gerais, Brazil, during the 2009 and 2010 winter crop season. The 2009 crop experiments were set up under a no-till system and the 2010 crop was conducted using conventional tillage. A randomized block experimental […]

The phosphorus supply to crops in tropical soils is deficient due to its somewhat insoluble nature in soil, and addition of P fertilizers has been necessary to achieve high yields. The objective of this study was to examine the mechanisms through which a cover crop (Congo grass – Brachiaria ruziziensis) in rotation with soybean can enhance soil and fertilizer P availability using long-term field trials and laboratory chemical fractionation approaches. The experimental field had been cropped to soybean in rotation […]

The feasibility of no-tillage in the Cerrado (Savanna-like vegetation of Brazil) depends on the production of sufficient above-ground crop residue, which can be increased by corn-forage intercropping. This study evaluated how above-ground crop residue production and yields of soybean and late-season corn in a soybean-corn rotation were influenced by the following crops in the year before soybean: corn (Zea mays L.) intercropped with Brachiaria (Urochloa) brizantha cv. Marandu, B. decumbens cv. Basilisk, B. ruziziensis, cv. comum., Panicummaximum cv. Tanzânia, sunn […]

The State of Rio Grande do Sul is the greatest producer of flooded rice of Brazil, concentrated mostly along the western border. The objective was to evaluate soil physical properties and flooded rice yield in no-till and conventional tillage systems and rice straw levels in no-till system. The study consisted of four experiments (E), laid out in experimental design was completely randomized blocks, with four experiments (E) and 10 repetitions in experiment 1, 2 and 3 and 6 in experiment […]

Soil penetration resistance is an important property that affects root growth and elongation and water movement in the soil. Since no-till systems tend to increase organic matter in the soil, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficiency with which soil penetration resistance is estimated using a proposed model based on moisture content, density and organic matter content in an Oxisol containing 665, 221 and 114 g kg-1 of clay, silt and sand respectively under annual no-till cropping, […]

Soil water availability to plants is affected by soil compaction and other variables. The Least Limiting Water Range (LLWR) comprises soil physical variables affecting root growth and soil water availability, and can be managed by either mechanical or biological methods. There is evidence that effects of crop rotations could last longer than chiseling, so the objective of this study was to assess the effect of soil chiseling or growing cover crops under no-till (NT) on the LLWR. Crop rotations involving […]

The use of animal manure in agricultural systems can cause water contamination and/or pollution by nutrients, especially by consecutive applications to the same area. In view thereof, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of manure and fertilizer application on NH4+, NO3–, P and K leaching. For this evaluation, undisturbed soil columns were collected from a seven-year field experiment that consisted of 12 treatments, resulting from the combinations of four doses of dairy slurry with three doses […]