Net greenhouse gas balance with cover crops in semi-arid irrigated cropping systems.

Climate smart agriculture has been emphasized for mitigating anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, yet the mitigation potential of individual management practices remain largely unexplored in semi-arid cropping systems. This study evaluated the effects of different winter cover crop mixtures on CO2 and N2O emissions, net GHG balance (GHGnet), greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI), yield-scaled GHG emissions, and soil properties in irrigated forage corn (Zea mays L.) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) rotations. Four cover crop treatments: (1) grasses, brassicas, and legumes mixture (GBL), (2) grasses and brassicas mixture (GB), (3) grasses and legumes mixture (GL), and (4) a no-cover crop (NCC) control, each replicated four times under corn and sorghum phase of the rotations, were tested in the semi-arid Southern Great Plains of USA. Results showed 5-10 times higher soil respiration with cover crop mixtures than NCC during the cover crop phase and no difference during the cash crop phase. The average N2O-N emission in NCC was 44% lower than GL and 77% lower than GBL in corn and sorghum rotations. Cash crop yield was 13-30% greater in cover crop treatments than NCC, but treatment effects were not observed for GHGnet, yield-scaled emissions, and GHGI. Integrating cover crops could be a climate smart strategy for forage production in irrigated semi-arid agroecosystems.

Addition of micronutrients to npk formulation and initial development of maize plants / Adição de micronutrientes a formulado npk e o desenvolvimento incial de plantas de milho

Micronutrients are essential nutrients for plant growth and development; however, the micronutrient content in soil is often insufficient to ensure maximum productivity, which creates the need for their application through fertilizers. This study compared the availability of zinc, boron, manganese and copper to the soil, their absorption, accumulation and effect in developing maize plants, supplied as granules mixed with NPK granules or as powder, coating NPK granules. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse, in a randomized block design with four replications, using a soil classified as Oxisol and maize hybrid AG1051. The formulation for fertilizers used was 4-30-10 (N- P2O5 -K2O) with 0.3% zinc, 0.1% boron, 0.2% manganese and 0.2% copper applied at doses of 0, 150, 300, 600, 1200 and 2400 kg ha-1, furthermore, doses of 4-30-10 without micronutrients were applied to ensure variation only for micronutrient doses. Coating NPK granules with micronutrients was better than the mixture for soil Zn content, zinc concentration and accumulation in the shoot and dry mass production. Both fertilizers presented similar behavior for soil B content, B concentration and accumulation in shoots. However, for the greatest dose, B results were better for the mixture of granules. The addition of Mn and Cu to NPK formulation resulted in no response in the soil, although the mixture resulted in greater concentration of Mn in the shoot and coating granules showed greater accumulation of Cu.

Os micronutrientes são essenciais às plantas porém seus teores no solo podem não ser suficientes para altas produtividades, o que gera necessidade de aplicação via fertilizantes. Objetivou-se comparar a disponibilização de zinco, boro, manganês e cobre para o solo, sua absorção, acúmulo e efeito no desenvolvimento de plantas de milho, quando aplicados granulados e em mistura com grânulos NPK ou na forma de pó, revestindo grânulos de NPK. O experimento foi conduzido em casa de vegetação, com delineamento de blocos casualizados, com quatro repetições, com amostras de solo classificado como Latossolo Vermelho distrófico típico e híbrido de milho AG1051. Os fertilizantes utilizados foram de formulação 4-30-10 (N-P2O5-K2O) com 0,3 % de zinco, 0,1 % de boro, 0,2 % de manganês e 0,2 % de cobre aplicados nas doses de 0, 150, 300, 600, 1200 e 2400 kg ha-1. Doses complementares de 4-30-10 sem micronutrientes foram aplicadas para que todos os tratamentos recebessem as mesmas doses de nitrogênio, fósforo e potássio, variando somente as doses dos micronutrientes. O revestimento dos grânulos de NPK com micronutrientes é superior à mistura quando se compara o teor de zinco no solo, a concentração e o acúmulo de zinco na parte aérea e a produção de massa seca das plantas de milho. A mistura de micronutrientes granulados com grânulos de NPK apresenta comportamento semelhante para os teores de boro no solo, sua concentração e acúmulo na parte aérea. A adição de manganês e cobre ao formulado NPK não resultou em resposta no solo, embora a forma de mistura tenha resultado em maior concentração de manganês na parte aérea, e o revestimento de grânulos tenha mostrado maior acúmulo de cobre pelas plantas de milho.