Soil Properties and Carbon Accumulation in an Integrated Crop-Livestock System Under No-Tillage

Author(s)

Nídia Raquel Costa ^[1] ; Marcelo Andreotti ^[2] ; Keny Samejima Mascarenhas Lopes ^[3] ; Kazuo Leonardo Yokobatake ^[4] ; João Paulo Ferreira ^[5] ; Cristiano Magalhães Pariz ^[6] ; Carolina dos Santos Batista Bonini ^[7] ; Vanessa Zirondi Longhini ^[8]

Affiliation

^[1] Universidade Estadual Paulista. Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas. Departamento de Produção e Melhoramento Vegetal - Brasil

^[2] Universidade Estadual Paulista. Faculdade de Engenharia. Departamento de Fitossanidade, Engenharia Rural e Solos - Brasil

^[3] Universidade Estadual Paulista. Faculdade de Engenharia - Brasil

^[4] Universidade Estadual Paulista. Faculdade de Engenharia - Brasil

^[5] Universidade Estadual Paulista. Faculdade de Engenharia - Brasil

^[6] Universidade Estadual Paulista. Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia - Brasil

^[7] Universidade Estadual Paulista. Campus de Dracena - Brasil

^[8] Universidade Estadual Paulista. Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia - Brasil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Revista Brasileira de Ciência do Solo; v. 39, n. 3, p. 852-863, 2015-06-00.

Abstract

In production systems such as the integrated crop-livestock system (ICL) under no-tillage, improvements have been observed in chemical, physical, and biological soil properties. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the changes in chemical and physical soil properties, as well as carbon (C) accumulation, in an Oxisol under irrigated conditions in the Cerrado (Brazilian tropical savanna) in an ICL system under no-tillage. The experiment was carried during the growing of 2010/2011, 2011/2012, and 2012/2013. A randomized block experimental design with four replications was used. Treatments were arranged in split plots in time, and the experimental plots were composed of the following: maize and forage sorghum grown separately or intercropped with the forages Urochloa brizantha var. Xaraés and Megathyrsus maximum var. Tanzânia for ensiling; forage species in the between-harvest period; and the soybean crop in succession. In addition to the initial characterization, five evaluations (seasons) of the soil chemical and physical properties at the end of each production cycle were performed while carrying out the experiment. Production in the ICL system under no-tillage, even with high nutrient export and machine traffic, were efficient in maintaining and even improving soil fertility and soil C stocks. Over a three-year period, the ICL led to reduction in soil compaction through the positive effect of increased macroporosity and total porosity and decreased resistance to penetration and bulk density, in the 0-0.10 and 0.10-0.20 m soil layers. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 11/01057-0 - TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE OF PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN CROP-LIVESTOCK SYSTEM AIMING FOR SUSTAINABILITY IN THE NO-TILLAGE
• Grantee: Nídia Raquel Costa
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate