Sensitivity of cotton cultivars to soil compaction

Cotton is one of the most sensitive crops to soil compaction, but there may be genetic variability for this trait. The objective of this study was to evaluate cotton cultivars sensitivity to soil compaction. Soil columns were built with three pvc rings with internal diameter of 10 cm and filled with an alfisol. The heights of the top and bottom rings were 15 cm, and the intermediate ring, in which the soil was compacted, was 3.5 cm high. The levels of compression used in the subsurface were characterized by penetration resistances of 0.41, 0.93, 1.41 and 1.92 MPa. The cultivars 701 FMT, FMT 705, FMT 707, FMX 951 LL and FMX 966 LL were grown up to 23 days after plant emergence, when the dry matter of shoots and roots, root length density and root diameter were determined. The cotton cultivars have variability in their sensitivity to resistance to penetration. The cultivar 707 FMT is more sensitive to soil compaction, while the FMT 701 is more tolerant. Penetration resistance of around 0.92 to 1.06 MPa reduce 50% cotton root growth, but resistance to penetration of 1.92 MPa did not totally prevent growth

Relação entre macrofauna, agregação e atributos edáficos em sequência de culturas sob plantio direto

The no-tillage system (NT) is presented as an agricultural technique that improves the chemical, physical and biological soil properties. However, many questions still remain as to the effect of the type and sequence of cultures on plantsoil- organisms interactions. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of crop sequences in no-tillage system in the community of soil macrofauna and chemical and physical characteristics of aggregates in two evaluation periods, dry and wet in areas of morphological domain of Atlantic Forest. The hypotheses tested were: e) crop rotation with species of grass/legumes (corn/soybean) favors the formation of aggregates of different morphological types with different physical and chemical characteristics, due to the action of roots and food selection by soil macrofauna; ii) the evaluation period promotes changes in the environment for the formation of aggregates due to the recent culture and seasonality; iii) biological agents (macrofauna and roots) alter the dynamics of organic matter associated with soil aggregates due to food selection by macrofauna and action of roots; iv) the rotation of grass/legumes promotes greater richness of individuals, uniformity of soil macrofauna, greater abundance of groups decomposers of organic matter and engineers of the ecosystem when compared to grasses or legumes, due to improvement in the availability of food resources. The experiment was conducted under NT in Jaboticabal - SP, the treatments analyzed were: soybean monoculture (legume) in the summer and sun hemp (legume) in the off season (S-SH), corn monoculture (grass) in the summer and corn in the off season (C-C), rotation soybean/corn in the summer and a corn in the off season (S/C-C) and rotation soybean/corn in the summer and sun hemp in the off-season (S/C-SH). The sampling was carried out in August 2012 and March 2013. ...O sistema de plantio direto (PD) é apresentado como técnica agrícola que melhora as propriedades químicas, físicas e biológicas do solo. No entanto, ainda permanecem muitas questões quanto ao efeito do tipo e sequência de culturas sobre as interações planta-organismos-solo. O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar o efeito de sequências de culturas em sistema de plantio direto na comunidade da macrofauna edáfica e nas características químicas e físicas dos agregados em duas épocas de avaliação, seca e chuvosa em áreas de domínio morfológico de Mata Atlântica. As hipóteses testadas foram: i) a rotação de culturas com espécies de gramíneas/leguminosas (milho/soja) favorece a formação dos agregados de diferentes tipos morfológicos com diferentes características físicas e químicas, devido à atuação de raízes e a seleção alimentar pela macrofauna do solo; ii) a época de avaliação promove mudanças no ambiente para a formação dos agregados em função da cultura recente e da sazonalidade; iii) os agentes biológicos (macrofauna e raízes) alteram a dinâmica da matéria orgânica associada aos agregados do solo, devido à seleção alimentar pela macrofauna e pela atuação de raízes; iv) a rotação de gramíneas/leguminosas promove maior riqueza de indivíduos, uniformidade da macrofauna edáfica, maior abundância de grupos decompositores de matéria orgânica e engenheiros do ecossistema quando comparada com gramíneas ou com leguminosas, devido a melhoria na disponibilidade de recursos alimentares. O experimento foi realizado sob PD em Jaboticabal - SP, os tratamentos analisados foram: monocultura de soja (leguminosa) no verão e crotalária (leguminosa) na entressafra (S-C), monocultura de milho (gramínea) no verão e milho na entressafra (M-M), rotação soja/milho no verão e uma milho na entressafra (S/M-M) e rotação soja/milho no verão e crotalária ..

Content and carbon stocks in labile and recalcitrant organic matter of the soil under crop-livestock integration in Cerrado

The study of organic matter and its compartments and their relationship with management, aims to develop strategies for increasing their levels in soils and better understanding of its dynamics. This work aimed to evaluate the fractions of soil organic matter and their carbon stocks in different soil cover system in crop-livestock integration and native Cerrado vegetation. The study was conducted at the farm Cabeceira, Maracajú – MS, sample area have the following history: soybean/corn + brachiaria/cotton/oat + pasture/soybean/formation of pasture/grazing, sampling was carried out in two seasons, dry (May/2009) and rainy (March 2010), in the dry season, crops present were: pasture, corn and cotton + brachiaria and in the rainy season were corn, cotton and soybeans, so the areas in the two evaluation periods were: pasture / maize + brachiaria / cotton, cotton / soybean area and a native of Savanna. Was performed to determine the exchangeable cations, particle size analysis, bulk density, organic carbon, particle size fractionation of organic matter of the soil with the quantification of particulate organic carbon (POC) and organic carbon associated with minerals (OCam). Was also quantified the carbon stock and size fractions. The area of pasture / maize showed higher carbon stock in the particulate fraction in the topsoil. The area of cotton / soy due to its lower clay, showed the greatest loss of carbon. Because of the areas have the same history, the stock of more recalcitrant fraction was not sensitive to variations in coverage. The POC fraction appears more sensitive to different soil covers and seasonality

Caracterização dos agregados em solos sob cultivo no Cerrado, MS

Impacts on the environment and soil biological activity result in changes in the processes of formation of biogenic and fisiogenic aggregates. Aiming to evaluate the influence on physical and biological genesis of aggregates of Cerrado soils and determine the main environmental factors that determine the characteristics of households in the area of production under integrated crop-livestock (ICL), was developed this study in Farm Cabeceira, Maracaju-MS, in areas of ICL. The areas evaluated were: Savana, pasture/maize, corn/cotton and cotton/soybeans being evaluated during the dry (May/2009) and rainy (March 2010) season. To identify the pathways of aggregation were used morphological patterns, and established three clusters: fisiogenic, biogenic and intermediates. The aggregates were analyzed for exchangeable cations, carbon and aggregate stability, soil was analyzed for the exchangeable cations, particle size fractionation of soil organic matter, oxidizable fractions of total organic carbon, particle size analysis and soil macrofauna. In all areas studied, in the dry season, the highest values were quantified aggregate intermediates, while in the rainy season, in general, no differences were observed aggregates formed by different routes in areas except cotton/soybeans. The aggregates showed positive correlation with biogenic carbon and were found in lesser amounts compared to fisiogenic and intermediates. The different types of aggregates formed, besides having different characteristics morphological also differ as to chemical characteristics

Oxidizable fractions of total organic carbon and soil macrofauna in a crop-livestock integration system

The increasing level of land degradation has led to the adoption of agricultural management practices that seek to combine agricultural production and soil conservation. Among these, the practice of Crop-Livestock Integration (CLI) has intensified in West-Central Brazil. In order to assess the long-term effect of the CLI system and seasonality on the community of soil macrofauna and oxidizable fractions of total organic C in croplands and the Cerradão (Brazilian tropical savanna), a study was developed at the Cabeceira Farm in the municipality of Maracaju, State of Mato Grosso do Sul, which measured the effect of CLI on oxidizable fractions of total organic C and soil macrofauna. The CLI system has been used in this area since 2003. The soil was identified as a Latossolo Vermelho (Ferrasol), on flat land. The areas sampled have the following history of use: soybean/corn + brachiaria grass/cotton/oat + pasture/soybean/implantation of pasture/pasture. Sampling was carried out in two seasons, dry and wet. In the dry season, the crops were pasture, corn+brachiaria grass and cotton; in the rainy season there were corn+brachiaria grass, cotton, and soybeans. Thus, the areas in the two evaluation periods were pasture/corn, corn+brachiaria/cotton, cotton/soybeans, and an area of native Cerrado. Sampling was performed at the depths of 0-10, 10-20, and 20-30 cm, and the following determinations were made: analysis of soil macrofauna, particle size fractionation of soil organic matter (SOM), and oxidizable fractions of total organic C. The areas do not have an experimental design as this is an observational study. Data were compared by the Kruskal Wallis test at 5 % probability and through analysis of redundancy. Compartmentalization of SOM can be used to assess the quality of management, with the most sensitive compartments being the F1 and F2 fractions in the assessment of oxidizable fractions. These fractions are more labile in the soil, whereas the F3 and F4 fractions are more recalcitrant. Isoptera (termites) may be acting as a wetting agent of organic matter in the Cerrado area, contributing to higher levels of F3 and F4, compared to F1 and F2, in the dry season. This pattern was only observed in the Cerrado area since in the production areas, Isoptera is controlled by management practices. The lack of these insects in the CLI system may be reducing the stabilization of SOM in the F3 and F4 fractions.O crescente nível de degradação das terras tem promovido a adoção de manejos agrícolas que busque aliar a produção agropecuária à conservação do solo. Entre esses, a prática da Integração Lavoura-Pecuária (ILP) tem intensificado-se no Centro-Oeste brasileiro. Com o objetivo de avaliar o efeito em longo prazo do sistema ILP e da sazonalidade, sob a comunidade da macrofauna edáfica e das frações oxidáveis do carbono orgânico total (COT) em áreas de cultivo e Cerradão, foi desenvolvido na Fazenda Cabeceira no município de Maracaju, MS, um estudo em que se mensurou a influência da ILP sobre as frações oxidáveis do COT e sobre a macrofauna edáfica. O sistema ILP está sendo utilizado nessa área desde 2003; o solo foi identificado como Latossolo Vermelho, localizado em área de relevo plano. As áreas amostradas possuem o seguinte histórico: soja/milho + braquiária/algodão/ aveia + pastagem/soja/formação da pastagem/pastagem; as amostragens foram realizadas na época seca, em que as culturas presentes eram pasto, milho+braquiária e algodão; e na chuvosa, com milho+braquiária, algodão e soja. Assim, as áreas nas duas épocas de avaliação foram: pasto/milho, milho+braquiária/ algodão, algodão/soja e uma área nativa de Cerradão. A amostragem foi realizada nas profundidades de 0-10, 10-20 e 20-30 cm, sendo feitas as seguintes determinações: análise da macrofauna edáfica, fracionamento granulométrico da matéria orgânica do solo (MOS) e frações oxidáveis do COT. As áreas não apresentavam delineamento experimental, sendo este um estudo de observação. Os dados foram comparados pelo teste de Kruskal Wallis a 5 % e por meio da análise de redundância. A compartimentalização da MOS pode ser utilizada para a avaliação da qualidade do manejo, sendo os compartimentos mais sensíveis as frações F1 e F2 de frações oxidáveis, pois são mais lábeis no solo, já as frações F3 e F4 são as mais recalcitrantes. Isoptera (cupim) pode estar atuando como agente humificador da matéria orgânica na área de Cerradão, contribuindo para maiores teores de F3 e F4, em relação à F1 e F2 na época seca. Esse padrão somente foi verificado na área de Cerradão, visto que nas áreas de produção, Isoptera é controlado pelo manejo. A falta desse inseto no sistema ILP pode estar reduzindo a estabilização da MOS nas frações F3 e F4

Biogenic and physicogenic aggregates: formation pathways, assessment techniques, and influence on soil properties

The soil particles can be gathered through physical and/or chemical processes in association with the biological activity, leading to the formation of aggregates. Soil aggregates has several functions in the soil, increasing macroporosity and water circulation - consequently reducing soil erosion and mechanical resistance to root growth, contributing to greater fixation of plants to the soil and absorption of water and nutrients, and protection of intra-aggregate organic matter. The aggregates were initially classified morphologically and in terms of their stability. In recent years, another way of evaluating aggregates, regarding their formation or origin pathway, has gained prominence in the studies conducted in Brazil. As for their origin, the aggregates can be classified morphologically as physicogenic, biogenic, or intermediate. This manuscript presents the techniques used to sample aggregates, the morphological patterns for their distinction observed in different soil classes and management types, and the chemical and physical properties. Additionally, we present analyses that are not commonly used to evaluate aggregates but which have the potential to be used as tools for a better understanding of their origin and to evaluate their modifications when subject to different types of management. In practical terms, identifying the aggregate origin and determining the related attributes allows recognizing the effect of vegetation/soil/management on soil aggregate forming agents, mainly roots and soil fauna, which reflects soil quality. For future studies, and especially to determine the importance of biogenic aggregation in improving edaphic properties, we suggest the use of micromorphology, near-infrared spectroscopy, X-ray computed tomography, clay dispersion analyses in addition with chemical, physical, and biological analysis. This approach can contribute to the identification of other patterns related to pedogenesis and the pathways of aggregate formation