Long-Term Lime and Phosphogypsum Amended-Soils Alleviates the Field Drought Effects on Carbon and Antioxidative Metabolism of Maize by Improving Soil Fertility and Root Growth.

Long-term surface application of lime (L) and/or phosphogypsum (PG) in no-till (NT) systems can improve plant growth and physiological and biochemical processes. Although numerous studies have examined the effects of L on biomass and plant growth, comprehensive evaluations of the effects of this practice on net CO2 assimilation, antioxidant enzyme activities and sucrose synthesis are lacking. Accordingly, this study examined the effects of long-term surface applications of L and PG on soil fertility and the resulting impacts on root growth, plant nutrition, photosynthesis, carbon and antioxidant metabolism, and grain yield (GY) of maize established in a dry winter region. At the study site, the last soil amendment occurred in 2016, with the following four treatments: control (no soil amendments), L (13 Mg ha-1), PG (10 Mg ha-1), and L and PG combined (LPG). The long-term effects of surface liming included reduced soil acidity and increased the availability of P, Ca2+, and Mg2+ throughout the soil profile. Combining L with PG strengthened these effects and also increased SO4 2--S. Amendment with LPG increased root development at greater depths and improved maize plant nutrition. These combined effects increased the concentrations of photosynthetic pigments and gas exchange even under low water availability. Furthermore, the activities of Rubisco, sucrose synthase and antioxidative enzymes were improved, thereby reducing oxidative stress. These improvements in the physiological performance of maize plants led to higher GY. Overall, the findings support combining soil amendments as an important strategy to increase soil fertility and ensure crop yield in regions where periods of drought occur during the cultivation cycle.

Effect of hairy vetch cover crop on maize nitrogen supply and productivity at varying yield environments in Southern Brazil.

Cover crops play a critical role on conservation and sustainable agriculture due to their well-documented benefits on both soil and crop productivity. Inclusion of legumes (e.g., hairy vetch, Vicia villosa Roth) in the farming system can reduce the nitrogen (N) fertilizer needs for cereals such as maize (Zea mays L.) crop while maintaining or increasing its productivity. The aims of this research study were to quantify the effect of hairy vetch as a cover crop on: i) successor maize yield under varying yield environments (YEs) and fertilizer N rates, and ii) maize N status [N uptake, N nutritional index (NNI), and N fertilizer replacement value (NFRV)] at flowering time. Two field studies were carried out in Southern Brazil under varying YEs. The factors investigated were: YE (low, medium, and high), hairy vetch cover crop (with and without), and fertilizer N rate (0, 60, 120, 180, and 240 kg N ha-1). Under the combination of low YE and low fertilizer N rates (0-60 kg ha-1) with previous vetch, maize displayed the largest yield response and an improvement in its N status. The NNI determined at maize flowering was an efficient index of the vetch effect, increasing delta maize yield response (yield with- minus without-vetch) as the NNI reduced, with more than 10% delta yield response with NNI below 0.85. The NFRV of the hairy vetch represents potential N savings of 151 kg N ha-1 for the LYE, 95 kg N ha-1 for the MYE and from 59 to 45 kg N ha-1 for the HYE depending on the tested fertilizer N rate. The N coming from the legume cover crop in addition to the N fertilization was critical for supplying N to maize and boosting productivity across all YEs.

Driving factors of soil carbon accumulation in Oxisols in long-term no-till systems of South Brazil.

In a climate change scenario, it is important to understand the factors that lead to changes in a soil carbon (C) sink. It is recognized that such process is highly dependent on climate, soil properties, topography, and vegetation. However, few studies demonstrate how these mechanisms operate in highly weathered Oxisols. Therefore, this study evaluated the driving factors for C recovery and accumulation and its relations with fertility attributes in the soil profile (0 to 1m depth) in no-till (NT) croplands of south Brazil. The adoption of NT in the studied fields started between 1978 (pioneer areas) and 1990 and represent a range of textural and mineralogical characteristics South Brazil main croplands. Soil samples were collected in paired fields of native vegetation and NT (NV vs. long-term NT) to a depth of 1m. The studied NT areas of Rio Grande do Sul State were managed according to the principles of conservation agriculture (minimum soil disturbance, permanent soil cover and diverse crop rotation). The processes that drove SOC recovery in the studied sites were soil fertility management allied with high C input through intense crop rotation. The C recovery was were for areas with the predominance of soybean in the cropping system, higher levels of Al3+ and lower levels of Mg2+ and P. Sites with medium/high cropping intensity, lower levels of Al3+ and higher levels of P, Ca2+, Mg2+, and K+ resulted in higher C recovery.

Variabilidade espacial da produtividade de milho irrigado e sua correlação com variáveis explicativas de planta / Spatial variability of grain yield of irrigated corn and its correlation with explanatory plant variables

RESUMO: Em decorrência da instabilidade da produtividade das principais culturas associada ao déficit hídrico, tem se tornado cada vez mais frequente a necessidade do uso de tecnologias como a irrigação e a agricultura de precisão (AP). O presente trabalho objetivou avaliar a variabilidade espacial da produtividade de grãos de milho e sua correlação com variáveis explicativas de planta em área irrigada. O estudo foi conduzido nas safras agrícolas 2010/2011 e 2011/2012, em área de 35ha, manejada em sistema plantio direto e irrigação por pivô central. Os componentes de produtividade e a produtividade de grãos foram avaliados seguindo uma malha amostral de 100x100m. A produtividade de grãos e a maior parte dos componentes de produtividade apresentaram baixa dispersão dos dados, condicionando a normalidade dos dados. A produtividade de grãos, mesmo com a irrigação, apresentou elevada variabilidade espacial. Na análise de trilha, verificaram-se altos coeficientes de determinação dos componentes de produtividade com a produtividade de grãos.

ABSTRACT: Due to yield instability of main crops associated to drought, the use of technologies such irrigation and precision agriculture (PA) have been recently adopted in large scale. This study had the objective to assess the spatial variability of corn yield and its correlation with explanatory plant variables in an irrigated field. The study was carried out during the growing seasons 2010/2011 and 2011/2012, in an area of 35ha managed under no-till and center-pivot irrigation. Corn yield and yield components were evaluated following a sampling grid of 100x100m. Grain yield and most yield components showed low dispersion data, resulting in data normality. Even under irrigation, corn yield showed high spatial variability. In path analysis, it was found high determination coefficients of corn yield with yield components.

Épocas e parcelamentos da adubação nitrogenada aplicada em cobertura na cultura do feijoeiro, grupo comercial preto e carioca, em semeadura direta / Time and partition of nitrogen fertilization side-dressed applied on bean crop, black and carioca commercial group, in direct sowing

O trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar qual a melhor época de aplicação do N e qual o parcelamento da adubação nitrogenada a ser adotado no sistema plantio direto, em cultivares de feijoeiro do grupo comercial preto e carioca. O experimento foi conduzido no município de Jaboticaba - RS. Os tratamentos constaram da aplicação de N, utilizando como fonte nitrogenada a ureia, em uma única dose (100%), nas épocas: emergência das plântulas, aos 7, 14, 21, 28 e 35 dias após emergência (DAE), e das seguintes combinações de parcelamentos: 50%+50%, 30%+70% e 70%+30% da dose em cada época, totalizando 36 tratamentos. As variáveis avaliadas foram: estatura de plantas (cm); número de nós da haste principal; número de nós m-2; número de legumes planta-1; número de legumes m-2; número de grãos legume-1; altura da base do primeiro legume ao solo; altura de inserção do primeiro legume; e massa de 100 grãos e produtividade de grão. Conclui-se que a melhor época de aplicação e parcelamento foi 30% da dose aos 7DAE + 70% aos 35DAE, diferindo das sugestões propostas pelas atuais recomendações de N para a cultura do feijoeiro. Além disso, a aplicação de 100% da dose de N, na emergência das plântulas, apresentou as menores produtividades, não se mostrando promissora para os grupos de feijoeiro estudados.

The research had as objective to evaluate what is the better time of N application and what is the partition of nitrogen fertilization to be used in no tillage system, in bean cultivars of black and carioca commercial groups. The experiment was conducted in Jaboticaba city - RS. The treatments were N application, using urea as nitrogen source, in one dose (100%) in the time: seedling emergence, at 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35 days after emergence (DAE) and according to the following partition combinations: 50%+50%, 30%+70 and 70%+30% of the dose in each time, totalizing 36 treatments. The variables evaluated were: plant height (cm); number of nodes of principal stem; number of nodes m-2; number of pods plant-1; number of pods m-2; number of grains pod-1; base height of the first pod from the soil; insertion height of the first pod; and 100 grains mass and productivity. It is concluded that the better time of application and partition was 30% of the dose at 7DAE + 70% at 35DAE differing of the suggestions proposed by the actual N recommendations for bean crop. And that the application of 100% of the N dose, at the seedlings emergence, presented the lowest productivity does not showing be promising to the bean groups studied.

Potential of carbon accumulation in no-till soils with intensive use and cover crops in southern Brazil.

The area under no-till (NT) in Brazil reached 22 million ha in 2004-2005, of which approximately 45% was located in the southern states. From the 1970s to the mid-1980s, this region was a source of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere due to decrease of soil carbon (C) stocks and high consumption of fuel by intensive tillage. Since then, NT has partially restored the soil C lost and reduced the consumption of fossil fuels. To assess the potential of C accumulation in NT soils, four long-term experiments (7-19 yr) in subtropical soils (Paleudult, Paleudalf, and Hapludox) varying in soil texture (87-760 g kg(-1) of clay) in agroecologic southern Brazil zones (central region, northwest basaltic plateau in Rio Grande Sul, and west basaltic plateau in Santa Catarina) and with different cropping systems (soybean and maize) were investigated. The lability of soil organic matter (SOM) was calculated as the ratio of total organic carbon (TOC) to particulate organic carbon (POC), and the role of physical protection on stability of SOM was evaluated. In general, TOC and POC stocks in native grass correlated closely with clay content. Conversely, there was no clear effect of soil texture on C accumulation rates in NT soils, which ranged from 0.12 to 0.59 Mg ha(-1) yr(-1). The C accumulation was higher in NT than in conventional-till (CT) soils. The legume cover crops pigeon pea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp] and velvet beans (Stizolobium cinereum Piper & Tracy) in NT maize cropping systems had the highest C accumulation rates (0.38-0.59 Mg ha(-1) yr(-1)). The intensive cropping systems also were effective in increasing the C accumulation rates in NT soils (0.25-0.34 Mg ha(-1) yr(-1)) when compared to the double-crop system used by farmers. These results stress the role of N fixation in improving the tropical and subtropical cropping systems. The physical protection of SOM within soil aggregates was an important mechanism of C accumulation in the sandy clay loam Paleudult under NT. The cropping system and NT effects on C stocks were attributed to an increase in the lability of SOM, as evidenced by the higher POC to TOC ratio, which is very important to C and energy flux through the soil.