This study evaluated the dry matter production and chemical composition of Brachiaria forage grasses in the offseason after corn harvest in integrated crop-livestock system. The experiment was conducted at the Federal Institute of Goiás, Rio Verde Campus, using a randomized complete block experimental design, with four replications. The treatments consisted of the forages: Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu; Brachiaria brizantha cv. Xaraes; Brachiaria brizantha cv. Piata; Brachiaria brizantha cv. MG-4; Brachiaria decumbens and Brachiaria ruziziensis, intercropped in oversown corn for implantation of integrated crop-livestock system. The results showed that intercropping corn with Brachiaria grasses favors the production of high-quality forage in the offseason, and the cultivars of Brachiaria brizantha and Brachiaria decumbens showed higher dry matter production. And cultivars of Brachiaria brizantha (Marandu palisadegrass, Xaraes palisadegrass and Piata palisadegrass) are the most suitable for presenting food of better quality, compared with Brachiaria brizantha cv. MG-4, Brachiaria decumbens and Brachiaria ruziziensis.
SUMMARYAgricultural production systems that include the production of mulch for notillage farming and structural improvement of the soil can be considered key measures for agricultural activity in the Cerrado region without causing environmental degradation. In this respect, our work aimed to evaluate the chemical and physical-hydric properties of a dystrophic Red Latosol (Oxisol) in the municipality of Rio Verde, Goias, Brazil, under different soil management systems in the between-crop season of soybean cultivation five years after first planting. The following conditions were evaluated: Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu as a cover crop during the between-crop season; Second crop of maize intercropped with Brachiaria ruziziensis; Second crop of grain alone in a no-tillage system; Fallow soil after the soybean harvest; and Forest (natural vegetation) located in an adjacent area. Soil samples up to a depth of 40 cm were taken and used in the assessment of chemical properties and soil structure diagnostics. The results demonstrated that the conversion of native vegetation areas into agricultural fields altered the chemical and physicalhydric properties of the soil at all the depths evaluated, especially up to 10 cm, due to the activity of root systems in the soil structure. Cultivation of B. brizantha as a cover crop during the summer between-crop season increased soil water availability, which is important for agricultural activities in the region under study.Index term: Brachiaria, crop succession, no-tillage, least limiting water range, water availability.(1) Excerpt from the Master's Dissertation of the first author at Instituto Federal Goiano (IFGoiano
The degradation of pastures in Brazil is a problem of agronomic and environmental importance because it impairs the productive capacity of the soil and the hydrological cycle. In this context, the integration of agriculture and livestock emerges as a promising practice in recovering degraded soils through aggregation, increasing organic carbon in the soil and breaking compacted layers via the growth of grass roots. This study aimed to evaluate suitable indicators of physical quality in regard to mitigating structural changes of a Latosol cultivated with different species of the genus Brachiaria. We evaluated the grasses Brachiaria brizantha (Xaraés, Piatã, Marandu), Brachiaria decumbens and Brachiaria ruziziensis and adopted fallow and conventional tillage as controls. Soil samples were used to evaluate the parameters total organic carbon, soil aggregation via wet sieving and the least limiting water range (LLWR). Total organic carbon and aggregate stability were not suitable indicators for quantifying soil structural changes, remaining high in the evaluated conservation systems, with a difference observed only in the control with conventional tillage. The LLWR varied among all systems and layers evaluated. Xaraés palisadegrass, followed by the Piatã and Marandu cultivars, stood out in terms of biological soil loosening ability, being similar to the recovery caused by soil tillage. Furthermore, B. decumbens showed intermediate performance, while B. ruziziensis showed activity similar to that in the fallow treatment, indicating limited potential for soil physical recovery.
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