Citation Information

  • Title : Cover crops and soil fertility changes under no-tillage system.; Culturas de cobertura e sua influencia na fertilidade do solo sob sistema de plantio direto (SPD).
  • Source : Bioscience Journal
  • Publisher : UNIV FEDERAL UBERLANDIA
  • Volume : 24
  • Issue : 4
  • Pages : 20-31
  • Year : 2008
  • Document Type : Journal Article
  • Language : English
  • Authors:
    • Durigan, J.
    • Correia, N.
  • Climates: Marintime/Oceanic (Cfb, Cfc, Cwb).
  • Cropping Systems: Cover cropping. No-till cropping systems. Sorghum. Soybean.
  • Countries: Brazil.

Summary

To evaluate the effect of cover crops [sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor 'Sara'), coverage sorghum ( S. bicolor * S. sudanensis 'Cober Exp'), forage millet ( Pennisetum americanum 'BN2'), common millet ( Pennisetum americanum), finger millet ( Eleusine coracana) and St. Lucia Grass ( Brachiaria brizantha)] and treatment with spontaneous vegetation, in soil fertility after two years under no-tillage systems, experiment was conducted at the farm 'Tres Marcos', Uberlandia, MG - Brazil. The soil was collected in February 2005, after the harvest of the soybean grains (cv. M-SOY 6101), in depths of 0-5 cm, 5-10 cm and 10-20 cm. The coverage resulted in soil chemical properties alteration, with different responses at the sampling depths studied. In first 5 cm of soil, was observed higher pH, organic matter, exchangeable Ca and Mg, base saturation, bases content and effective cation exchange capacity than in deeper samples. The soil kept with spontaneous vegetation showed the highest pH, Ca and Mg levels, base saturation and effective cation exchange capacity, while the soil under cover crop showed higher P and organic matter levels.

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