No-tillage in organic production system: production parameters and biomass decomposition

• Published in: Comunicata Scientiae 2021-01, Vol.12, p.1-9
• Main Authors: Rocha, Lucas Vasconcelos, Biassi, Dérique, Ribeiro, Júlio César, Pereira, Marcos Gervasio, Zonta, Everaldo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accumulation; Agricultural practices; Arachis pintoi; Biomass; Brachiaria brizantha; Cover crops; Crop residues; Crops; Crotalaria juncea; Decomposition; Dry matter; Fragility; Half-life; Hemp; Mathematical models; Millet; Mineral nutrients; Natural resources; No-till cropping; Nutrient content; Nutrient dynamics; Nutrient release; Nutrients; Nuts; Peanuts; Pennisetum americanum; Sandy soils; Seeds; Soil; Soils; Tillage
• ISSN: 2179-9079; 2177-5133
• DOI: 10.14295/CS.v12.3157

Soils with sandy texture in the first layers are of wide occurrence throughout Brazil. Because of their fragility, it is essential to use crop practices, such as the adoption of a no-tillage system, to promote benefits to these soils. The objective of this study was to evaluate biomass production, nutrient content and accumulation, decomposition rates, half-life time (T,/2) and dynamics of the N, P and K release from residues of cover crops in organic cropping of vegetables in Seropédica Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. The experiment was conducted using a randomized block design with multiple replicates and six treatments: sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea), palisade forage peanuts (Arachis pintoi), Brachiaria (Brachiaria brizantha), millet (Pennisetum americanum), a cocktail of seeds, and an area of spontaneous vegetation. Dry matter decomposition and nutrient release were evaluated at 15, 30, 60, 90 and 120 days by the litter-bag method. Sunn hemp had higher dry matter production (15.48 Mg ha-1) and accumulation of N, P and K (426, 40 and 325 kg ha-1, respectively). As for dry matter decomposition, millet and forage peanut plants had the longest (98 days) and shortest (23 days) half-life, respectively. Millet was the cover crop with the longest half-life in terms of P and K release, while for N, the longest half-life was verified in the cocktail of seeds (sunn hemp, millet and brachiaria).