ABSTRACT No-tillage (NT) has been largely adopted in Brazil as a strategy for soil conservation, but for the last decade, there have been governmental incentives for its adoption arising from its potential for soil C accumulation. Notwithstanding, the soil mulch formed from crop residues favors the maintenance of soil moisture and nutrients in the upper soil layers, which stimulates soil microbial activity and may increase the potential for nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. In addition, double-cropping systems in the same year […]

ABSTRACT High winter cereal yields depend on an adequate supply of nitrogen (N). We developed a system for indicating N rates for wheat and barley in the South-Central region of the state of Paraná, Brazil, using results of 72 field experiments conducted from 2007 to 2012. The N rates recommended for winter cereals were estimated to supply the amounts of N fertilizer needed to obtain increasing yields (5.5 Mg ha-1) of crops grown after soybean and corn on soils with […]

ABSTRACT The management of nitrogen fertilization in wheat has proven to be a limiting factor for grain yield in the southern region of Brazil, and new techniques like the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) can be useful for estimating crop yield potential and, consequently, for determining N fertilization requirements. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of NDVI, obtained through active and passive sensors, as a tool for estimating the grain yield of wheat cultivars under different […]

Silicon (Si) is beneficial to plants in several aspects, but there are doubts about the effectiveness of leaf application. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the effects of Si, applied in a newly developed stabilized silicic acid form to the leaf, on nutrition and yield of irrigated white oat and wheat. Two experiments were performed (one per crop) in winter 2008, in Botucatu-SP, Brazil. A completely randomized block design with 14 replications was used. Treatments consisted of a […]

Phosphorus (P) is one of the most critical elements for agriculture, not only by the high P requirement for adequate crop growth and development, but also by the gradual scarcity of its natural sources. The differentiation among genotypes is required for further mechanism investigation, and to combine different mechanisms at the same individual which might allow superior tolerance. This work aimed to differentiate, in hydroponic solution, wheat genotypes with contrasting P deficiency tolerance. Three studies were carried out. In the […]

Nitrogen is a plant nutrient of great importance. To determine optimum N levels for wheat, a field trial was carried out in a Red Latosol, during the winter of 2005, at Embrapa Cerrados, Planaltina (DF – Brazil). The experiment was set up in a randomized block design, with six replications and the treatments consisted of six N doses (0, 70, 140, 210, 280 and 350 kg ha-1). Soil samples were collected in the 0-20 cm and 20-40 cm layers and three different chemical extractors […]

Soil compaction is a limiting factor to increase yields and to develop long-term no-till, especially in clayey soils. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of compaction levels on soil bulk density, porosity and penetration resistance, as well as the consequences on root growth, leaf area index and yield of common bean and wheat in crop succession. The treatments were: NT – continuous no-till for six years; NTc – NT with additional compaction; Chi – chisel plow […]

Nitrogen top dressing period affects wheat grain yields and should occur at the stages when yield potential is established. In order to determine the critical stages related to N needs, field experiments were conducted at Estação Experimental Agronômica/UFRGS, Eldorado do Sul (RS), Brazil, in 1993, 1994 and 1995. Wheat cultivars BR 23 (1993 and 1994) and Embrapa 16 (1995) were sown by the end of June at 300 seeds m-2. Nitrogen treatments (40 kg ha-1) were applied at the following stages: (a) plant emergence, (b) […]