Deep Soil Water Content and Forage Production in a Tropical Agroforestry System

Autor(es)

Mansano Sarto, Marcos Vinicius ; Barbosa Borges, Wander Luis ; Bassegio, Doglas ; Nunes, Marcio Renato ; Rice, Charles W. ; Rosolem, Ciro Antonio

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: AGRICULTURE-BASEL; v. 12, n. 3, p. 13-pg., 2022-03-01.

Resumo

Agroforestry systems integrating tree and forage growth are important for maintaining soil health but may change the soil's physical-hydric properties. Our goal was to investigate the impact of introducing Eucalyptus trees into a pasture on the soil water content throughout the soil profile. The study was conducted in a 6-year-old agroforestry system where two species of Eucalyptus were introduced into a palisade grass pasture. Soil moisture was sampled at 0.0 (planting row), 2.0, 4.0, and 6.0 m (midpoint between tree rows) from the Eucalyptus tree rows. A monoculture palisade grass pasture was used as a control. The soil water content down to a depth of 50 cm was lowest in the tree row and increased with distance from the trees. In the Eucalyptus row, the soil water content in the 0-50 cm layer was lower than in the monoculture pasture. Agroforestry systems decreased the water content in the superficial layers of the soil in the rainy months; in the dry season, the soil water contents in all layers were similar between the Eucalyptus inter-rows. In most seasons, the agroforest systems reduced the forage production close to the Eucalyptus tree rows, up to 2 m from the trees, likely due to the soil water content decrease. Overall, this study showed that in tropical regions with sandy soils, the grass and trees' competition must be considered when establishing integrated agroforestry systems in order to maximize the advantages and benefits of the diversified agroecosystem. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 13/08664-5 - Balanço de carbono e qualidade da matéria orgânica em sistemas de integração agricultura-pecuária
• Beneficiário: Ciro Antonio Rosolem
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular
• Processo FAPESP: 16/14323-4 - Atividade microbiana em integração eucalipto e Urochloa
• Beneficiário: Marcos Vinicius Mansano Sarto
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Exterior - Estágio de Pesquisa - Doutorado
• Processo FAPESP: 14/10656-3 - Contribuição do eucalipto para a matéria orgânica do solo em sistema integrado
• Beneficiário: Marcos Vinicius Mansano Sarto
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Doutorado