Establishment Techniques for Tropical Legumes in the Understory of a Eucalyptus Plantation

Abstract

-This study evaluated establishment methods for a mixture of herbaceous forage legumes [Centrosema acutifolium, Clitoria ternatea, Pueraria phaseoloides, Stylosanthes Campo Grande (Stylosanthes capitata + S. macrocephala), Calopogonium mucunoides, Lablab purpureus, Arachis pintoi, and Aeschynomene villosa] under the shade of an Eucalyptus grandis plantation submitted to thinning (40%) 8 years after planting in Anhembi, São Paulo (22°40'S, 48°10'W, altitude of 455 m). The experiment started in December 2008 and consisted of the comparison of the following four types of seed incorporation by light disc harrowing: (1) broadcast sowing without seed incorporation; disc harrowing before (2) or after (3) planting, and (4) disc harrowing before and after planting. Ninety days after planting, the number of legume plants/m² and the percentage of ground cover by the plants varied between the treatments tested; however, the treatments had no effect on the dry matter accumulation of forage legumes. Disc harrowing before planting yielded superior results compared to the treatments without disc harrowing and disc harrowing after planting. At the end of the experimental period, the plots contained Arachis, Centrosema, Stylosanthes, and Pueraria. The dry matter accumulated by Centrosema corresponded to 73% of total dry matter yield of the plots. The participation of Arachis, Centrosema and Stylosanthes in final dry matter composition of the plots varied according to establishment method. The advantages of the use of species mixtures rather than monocultures in the understory of forest plantations were discussed.Keywords: Pasture establishment; Agroforestry systems; Silvopastoral systems. TÉCNICAS DE IMPLANTAÇÃO DE LEGUMINOSAS TROPICAIS EM SUB-BOSQUE DE EUCALIPTO

Effect of Techniques and Time of Sowing, Seed Rate, and Weed Management on Selcted Herbaceous Legumes Establishments in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

“…This findings were similar to those obtained in Nagekeo experiment, where the highest plant population was achieved in the dibbling technique treatment (42 plants/m²), followed by furrowed and unharrowed technique (34 plants/m²), then furrowed and harrowed (27 plants/m²), and the lowest was observed in the broadcast and harrowed (20 plants/m²). Nicodemo et al (2015) obtained that highest plant population was encountered in the broadcast on land treated with harrow before and after seeds were sown (28.5 plants/m²) while the lowest plant number (9.4 plants/m²) was obtained in the broadcast only technique without harrowing the land. At this we observed that the harrowed land provides good seed contact with the soil, and thus better seedling emergences.…”