Productivity and phytotechnical parameters of corn grown on different cover plants
Resumo
Brazilian agriculture faces the challenge of adopting sustainable practices that reduce costs and mitigate environmental impacts. The use of cover crops stands out as an efficient alternative to improve soil conditions and increase the productivity of subsequent crops. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different cover crops on the productivity and phytotechnical characteristics of corn. The experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design, with four replicates, considering the following treatments: sorghum (Sorghum sp.), brachiaria (Brachiaria ruziziensis), crotalaria (Crotalaria juncea), fallow and no cover. The production of green mass of the covers, plant height, stem diameter, number of grains per ear, 1000-grain weight and productivity were evaluated. Sorghum showed the highest biomass production (96,498.5 kg ha⁻¹), while fallow was the least efficient. Cover crops provided better corn performance in height, number of leaves, stalk diameter, productivity and thousand-grain weight, compared to areas without cover or fallow. Sunn hemp stood out for biological nitrogen fixation, while brachiaria and sorghum reduced weed infestation and improved water retention. In fallow or uncovered areas, corn had a stalk diameter up to 6.42 mm smaller and productivity reduced by up to 3,827.47 kg ha⁻¹, compared to the best treatments. The results demonstrate the benefits of cover crops, promoting sustainable management and increasing corn productivity and resilience, especially in regions with edaphoclimatic challenges.
Downloads
Referências
Acharya, P., Ghimire, R., & Acosta-Martínez, V. (2024). Cover crop-mediated soil carbon storage and soil health in semi-arid irrigated cropping systems. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 361, 108813. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2023.108813
Barbosa, I. R., Santana, R. S., Mauad, M., & Garcia, R. A. (2020). Dry matter production and nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium uptake in Crotalaria juncea and Crotalaria spectabilis. Tropical Agricultural Research, 50, e61011.https://doi.org/10.1590/1983-40632020v5061011
CONAB - Companhia Nacional de Abastecimento. (2025a). Acompanhamento Safra Brasileira de Grãos. Agricultural Production: historical series and grains. Available at:https://portaldeinformacoes.conab.gov.br/safra-serie-historica-graos.html. Brasília, DF: CONAB. Accessed on: January 26, 2025.
CONAB - Companhia Nacional de Abastecimento. (2025b). Acompanhamento Safra Brasileira de Grãos. Monitoring the Brazilian grain harvest. Brasília, DF, v. 12, 2024/25 harvest, n. 4, fourth survey. Available at: http://www.conab.gov.br/. Brasília, DF: CONAB. Accessed on: January 26, 2025.
Frasier, I., Quiroga, A., & Noellemeyer, E. (2016). Effect of different cover crops on C and N cycling in sorghum NT systems. Science of the Total Environment, 562, 628-639. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.04.058
Leite, H. M. F., Calonego, J. C., Moraes, M. F., Silva, G. F., Mota, L. H. S. O., Silva, G. F., & Nascimento, C. A. C. (2024). How a long-term cover crop cultivation impact soil phosphorus availability in a no-tillage system. Plants, 13(15), 2057. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13152057
Leoni, F., Lazzaro, M., Carlesi, S., & Moonen, A. C. (2024). Screening suitable legumes for living mulches to support nitrogen dynamics and weed control in a durum wheat-forage sorghum crop sequence. Field Crops Research, 307, 109246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2023.109246
Lopes, A. P. M., Pereira, A. E., Baquião, E. M., Amorin, D. J., & Wilcken, S. R. S. (2023). Response of plants used in cover crop mix to Meloidogyne enterolobii, Meloidogyne incognita and Pratylenchus brachyurus. Tropical Agricultural Research, 53, e75822. https://doi.org/10.1590/1983-40632023v5375822
Loro, M. V., Carvalho, I. R., Pradebon, L. C., Sangiovo, J. P., Roza, J. P. D., Zuse, G. H., & Foleto, E. E. (2024). Maize genetic breeding for tolerance to abiotic stresswithfocus on sustainable use of environmental resources. Agronomy Science and Biotechnology, 10, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.33158/ASB.r199.v10.2024
MORGAN. (2025). 30A37: Preocossidae, tolerance to water stress and grain quality. Available at: https://www.morgansementes.com.br/produtos/30a37. Accessed on: January 24, 2025.
R Core Team. (2024). R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing. https://www.R-project.org/
Santos, F. C., Viana, J. H. M., Batista, M. A., Resende, Á. V., & Albuquerque-Filho, M. R. (2023). Agricultural use of sandy soils in Brazilian Cerrado (Brazilian Savanna). In: Hartemink, A. E., & Huang, J. (Eds.). Sandy Soils. p. 165-177. Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50285-9_15
Santos, L. A., Barbosa, B. S., Pinto, C.C., Szareski, V. J., Carvalho, I. R., Pimentel, J. R., Troyjack, C., Rosa, T. C., Koch, F., Dubal, I. T.P., Santos, A. K. C.F., Schuch, L. O. B., Martinazzo, E. G., Pedó, T.,& Aumonde, T. Z.(2024). Initial growth and chlorophyll indices of maize plants originating rom seed of different shapes and sizes. Agronomy Science and Biotechnology, 10, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.33158/ASB.r194.v10.2024
Santos, J. B. D., & Cury, J. P. (2011). Black thistle: a special weed in tropical soils. Planta Daninha, 29, 1159-1172. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0100-83582011000500024
Serafim, M. E., Zeviani, W. M., Barbosa, S. M., Costa., E., Pinho, K. A., Romano, L R., & Silva, B. M. (2023). Soil decompacting potential and biomass production of Brachiaria genotypes. Research Square. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-2352790/v1
Thapa, V. R., Ghimire, R., Acosta-Martínez, V., Marsalis, M. A., & Schipanski, M. E. (2021). Cover crop biomass and species composition affect soil microbial community structure and enzyme activities in semiarid cropping systems. Applied Soil Ecology. 157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2020.103735
USDA - United States Department of Agriculture. (2024). USDA makes acreage reporting improvements to allow flexibility for urban and innovative producers. USA: USDA.
Copyright (c) 2024 ASB Journal
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
