Sorghum grain yield, forage biomass production and revenue as affected by intercropping time

Sorghum is an excellent alternative to other grains in poor soil where corn does not develop very well, as well as in regions with warm and dry winters. Intercropping sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] with forage crops, such as palisade grass [Brachiaria brizantha (Hochst. ex A. Rich) Stapf] or guinea grass (Panicum maximum Jacq.), provides large amounts of biomass for use as straw in no-tillage systems or as pasture. However, it is important to determine the appropriate time at which these forage crops have to be sown into sorghum systems to avoid reductions in both sorghum and forage production and to maximize the revenue of the cropping system. This study, conducted for three growing seasons at Botucatu in the State of São Paulo in Brazil, evaluated how nutrient concentration, yield components, sorghum grain yield, revenue, and forage crop dry matter production were affected by the timing of forage intercropping. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design. Intercropping systems were not found to cause reductions in the nutrient concentration in sorghum plants. The number of panicles per unit area of sorghum alone (133,600), intercropped sorghum and palisade grass (133,300) and intercropped sorghum and guinea grass (134,300) corresponded to sorghum grain yields of 5439, 5436 and 5566kgha-1, respectively. However, the number of panicles per unit area of intercropped sorghum and palisade grass (144,700) and intercropped sorghum and guinea grass (145,000) with topdressing of fertilizers for the sorghum resulted in the highest sorghum grain yields (6238 and 6127kgha-1 for intercropping with palisade grass and guinea grass, respectively). Forage production (8112, 10,972 and 13,193Mg ha-1 for the first, second and third cuts, respectively) was highest when sorghum and guinea grass were intercropped. The timing of intercropping is an important factor in sorghum grain yield and forage production. Palisade grass or guinea grass must be intercropped with sorghum with topdressing fertilization to achieve the highest sorghum grain yield, but this significantly reduces the forage production. Intercropping sorghum with guinea grass sown simultaneously yielded the highest revenue per ha (€ 1074.4), which was 2.4 times greater than the revenue achieved by sowing sorghum only. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Milho e Brachiaria decumbens em sistemas de integração lavoura-pecuária

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Emabaúba como reservatório para ácaros predadores e hospedeiro alternativo para o percevejo-de-renda em cultivo de seringueira, no estado de São Paulo

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Alelopatia e potencialidade do consórcio entre rúcula e capim-cidreira

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Horticultura) - FCA

Adubação nitrogenada no feijoeiro irrigado em sucessão à milho e braquiária em plantio direto

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Produção Vegetal) - FCAV

Adubação em cultivares de milho consorciado com braquiárias em cultivo de safrinha

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Doses de N-Ureia e de esterco bovino na qualidade nutricional da alface em consórcio com a rúcula

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Ciência do Solo) - FCAV

Custos energéticos e econômicos do agroecossistema milho em consórcio com pinhão-manso

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Energia na Agricultura) - FCA

Desempenho do consórcio de tomateiro e berinjeleira em função das épocas de transplante e de cultivo

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Adubação nitrogenada no consórcio alface e rúcula

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Production of a bioherbicide agent in liquid and solid medium and in a biphasic cultivation system

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Épocas de consórcio de alho com cenoura em três sistemas de manejo de plantas daninhas em Jaboticabal-SP

This work was carried out using intercropped cultivation of garlic (Allium sativum) and carrot (Daucus carota) in Jaboticabal, SP - Brazil. Four seeding timings for carrot (0, 15, 30 and 45 days after garlic planting) and three weed management systems (herbicide, frequent manual weed control and no weed control) were tested. The effects of this intercropped system on weed control, efficient land use and productivity were determined. The experimental design was a completely randomized block with split-plots and four replications, with carrot seeding timings being the plots and the weed management systems, the sub-plots. The herbicide oxadiazon at 750 g ha-1 did not cause toxicity in the garlic, nor in the carrot plants. Regandress of the timing for the intercropping establishment the Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) values were greater than one. Garlic-carrot intercropping profitability was greater than that of monocultures of garlic crop, mainly under weed management systems, using the herbicide oxadiazon and frequent manual weeding.

Fractionation of aquatic humic substances and dynamic of chromium species in an aquatic body influenced by sugarcane cultivation

This study had as main objectiveto evaluate the influence of AHS obtained from an area under sugarcane cultivation on the dynamics of chromium species (Cr(III) and Cr(VI)). Was studied complexing capacity (CC) with the AHS of chromium species and these were characterized using UV/Vis spectrophotometry, molecular fluorescence, elemental analysis and infrared. AHS with and without fractionation showed a greater aromaticity degree and a predominance of humic acids, and the E4/E6 and E2/E4 ratios suggested aromatic rings and a greater contribution from plants, which indicates lignin structures. The highest CCs were observed for the AHS fractionated, being fraction with molecular-size < 10 kDa and 10-30 kDa showed the highest ability to complex Cr(III) and Cr(VI) ions, respectively. These results are corroborating with C/H/N and UV/Vis data, where we can conclude that the AHS without fractionation had the greatest aromaticity and a predominance of humic acids in their structure.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities and soil aggregation as affected by cultivation of various crops during the sugarcane fallow period

Management systems involving crop rotation, ground cover species and reduced soil tillage can improve the soil physical and biological properties and reduce degradation. The primary purpose of this study was to assess the effect of various crops grown during the sugarcane fallow period on the production of glomalin and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in two Latosols, as well as their influence on soil aggregation. The experiment was conducted on an eutroferric Red Latosol with high-clay texture (680 g clay kg-1) and an acric Red Latosol with clayey texture (440 g kg-1 clay) in Jaboticabal (São Paulo State, Brazil). A randomized block design involving five blocks and four crops [soybean (S), soybean/fallow/soybean (SFS), soybean/millet/soybean (SMS) and soybean/sunn hemp/soybean (SHS)] was used to this end. Soil samples for analysis were collected in June 2011. No significant differences in total glomalin production were detected between the soils after the different crops. However, total external mycelium length was greater in the soils under SMS and SHS. Also, there were differences in easily extractable glomalin, total glomalin and aggregate stability, which were all greater in the eutroferric Red Latosol than in the acric Red Latosol. None of the cover crops planted in the fallow period of sugarcane improved aggregate stability in either Latosol.

Cycling of nutrients and silicon in pigeonpea and pearl millet monoculture and intercropping

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)