Factors of structural degradation in clayey soils under "no-tillage"

• Grant number: 15/12934-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: October 01, 2015
• End date: March 31, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Soil Science
• Principal Investigator: Paulo Leonel Libardi
• Grantee: Márcio Renato Nunes
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 17/01522-1 - Evaluating the influence of soil mineralogy and organic matter quality on the structural degradation of oxisols under no-till using advanced and non-conventional techniques, BE.EP.DR

Abstract

The economic development of Brazil is governed by the increasing agricultural production, associated with the conservative practices. The no-tillage system (NT) is the soil management practices that bring together the broadest set of precepts for conservation agriculture. Areas under NT, however, have shown two completely different soils layers: a surface, around 0-0.07 m, with physical and chemical conditions favorable for root development; and a sub-surface layer, around 0.07-0.20 m, with lower permeability, high penetration resistance and low soil fertility. These conditions restrict the root growth to the surface layer, reducing plant productivity by water deficit. This problem extends over 30 million hectares of cultivated areas under NT in Brazil, endangering the agricultural exuberant projections in the country. Therefore, this requires research activities. This project aims to study the factors that promote soil physical and chemical stratification in NT cultivated areas. Among the factors that may cause soil degradation will be evaluated: (i) excessive surface limestone application, increasing the soil pH beyond the PCZ and the electronegative potential, causing clay dispersion in the surface layer; (ii) insufficient biomass supply and acceleration of mineralization by biological activation, caused by liming and fertilization, may decrease the aggregate stability promoting clay eluviation; and (iii) over-application of fertilizer with high salt content, which may favor the clay dispersion with subsequent migration of these to the subsurface layer. A better understanding of these factors will help define strategies to improve the NT in the country and, thus, enable increased agricultural production coupled with conservatism.

Scientific publications

(9)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

NUNES, MARCIO R.; KARLEN, DOUGLAS L.; DENARDIN, JOSE E.; CAMBARDELLA, CYNTHIA A.. Corn root and soil health indicator response to no-till production practices. AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT, v. 285, DEC 1 2019. (15/12934-3)

NUNES, MARCIO R.; VAZ, CARLOS M. P.; PESSOA, THAIS N.; DENARDIN, JOSE E.; KARLEN, DOUGLAS L.; GIAROLA, NEYDE F. B.; LIBARDI, PAULO L.. Inherent and dynamic effects on the structural stability of Brazilian Oxisols. GEODERMA REGIONAL, v. 27, DEC 2021. (15/12934-3)

NUNES, MARCIO R.; DA SILVA, ALVARO P.; DENARDIN, JOSE E.; GIAROLA, NEYDE F. B.; VAZ, CARLOS M. P.; VAN ES, HAROLD M.; DA SILVA, ANDERSON R.. Soil chemical management drives structural degradation of Oxisols under a no-till cropping system. SOIL RESEARCH, v. 55, n. 8, p. 819-831, 2017. (15/12934-3)

NUNES, MARCIO R.; DENARDIN, JOSE E.; VAZ, CARLOS M. P.; KARLEN, DOUGLAS L.; CAMBARDELLA, CYNTHIA A.. Lime movement through highly weathered soil profiles. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS, v. 1, n. 11, p. 15-pg., 2019-11-01. (15/12934-3)

NUNES, MARCIO R.; DE LIMA, RENATO P.; TORMENA, CASSIO A.; KARLEN, DOUGLAS L.. Corn seedling root growth response to soil physical quality. AGRONOMY JOURNAL, JUN 2021. (15/12934-3)

NUNES, MARCIO R.; DE LIMA, RENATO P.; TORMENA, CASSIO A.; KARLEN, DOUGLAS L.. Corn seedling root growth response to soil physical quality. AGRONOMY JOURNAL, v. 113, n. 4, JUL 2021. (15/12934-3)

NUNES, MARCIO R.; VAZ, CARLOS M. P.; DENARDIN, JOSE E.; VAN ES, HAROLD M.; LIBARDI, PAULO L.; DA SILVA, ALVARO P.. Physicochemical and Structural Properties of an Oxisol under the Addition of Straw and Lime. Soil Science Society of America Journal, v. 81, n. 6, p. 1328-1339, NOV-DEC 2017. (15/12934-3)

NUNES, MARCIO R.; PAULETTO, ELOY A.; DENARDIN, JOSE E.; SUZUKI, LUIS E. A. S.; VAN ES, HAROLD M.. Dynamic changes in compressive properties and crop response after chisel tillage in a highly weathered soil. SOIL & TILLAGE RESEARCH, v. 186, p. 183-190, MAR 2019. (15/12934-3)

PINHEIRO, EVERTON ALVES RODRIGUES; NUNES, MARCIO RENATO. Long-term agro-hydrological simulations of soil water dynamic and maize yield in a tillage chronosequence under subtropical climate conditions. SOIL & TILLAGE RESEARCH, v. 229, p. 10-pg., 2023-02-10. (15/12934-3)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

NUNES, Márcio Renato. Structure of highly weathered soils cultivated under no-tillage system. 2018. Doctoral Thesis - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALA/BC) Piracicaba.