Reducing competition in a crop-livestock-forest integrated system by thinning eucalyptus trees

Author(s)

Pezzopane, Jose Ricardo Macedo ^[1] ; Bonani, Willian Lucas ^[2] ; Bosi, Cristiam ^[3] ; Fernandes da Rocha, Eduardo Lopes ^[4] ; de Campos Bernardi, Alberto Carlos ^[1] ; Oliveira, Patricia Perondi Anchao ^[1] ; de Faria Pedroso, Andre ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Embrapa Pecuaria Sudeste, Rodovia Washington Luiz, Km 234, POB 339, BR-13563776 Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil

^[2] Centro Univ Araraquara, Rua Carlos Gomes, 1338 Ctr, BR-14801340 Araraquara, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, ESALQ, Ave Padua Dias 11, BR-13418900 Piracicaba, SP - Brazil

^[4] UNICEP, Rua Miguel Petroni 5111, BR-13563470 Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: EXPERIMENTAL AGRICULTURE; v. 56, n. 4, p. 574-586, AUG 2020.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of thinning eucalyptus trees on yield and nutritive value of corn for silage and palisadegrass in a crop-livestock-forest integrated system and to evaluate the total aboveground biomass yield in systems with and without trees. Plant variables, as well as the incidence of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and soil moisture, were evaluated between October 2016 and March 2018 in Sao Carlos, Brazil, in a crop-livestock-forest and a crop-livestock system. In the crop-livestock-forest system, eucalyptus trees (Eucalyptus urograndisclone GG100) were planted in April 2011, in single rows, with 15 x 2 m spacing. In 2016, the trees were thinned, and the spacing was changed to 15 x 4 m. The treatments comprised measurements at 0.00, 3.75, 7.50, and 11.25 m from the trees of the North row in the integrated crop-livestock-forest (iCLF) system and integrated crop-livestock (iCL) system. Palisadegrass (Urochloa brizantha) was sown after harvesting the corn. Corn yields were similar between treatments, with an average of 13.6 Mg ha(-1). Corn for silage presented a higher percentage of grain in total biomass in the crop-livestock-forest positions (41.4 and 42.1%) than in the crop-livestock system (35.6%). No differences in forage accumulation were observed. Crude protein content in corn for silage and palisadegrass was higher in the crop-livestock-forest treatments than in the crop-livestock system. Such results indicate that thinning was favorable to production in the crop-livestock-forest system. Total aboveground biomass yield was higher in the iCLF system, indicating better land use for this type of integrated system. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 16/02959-1 - Eucalyptus thinning in integration Crop-Livestock-Forest system: effects on microclimate and productivity
• Grantee: José Ricardo Macedo Pezzopane
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 14/11931-8 - Parameterization and evaluation of mechanistic crop simulation models to estimate Urochloa brizantha cv. Piatã productivity in a silvopastoral system
• Grantee: Cristiam Bosi
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate