Straw management effects on sugarcane growth, nutrient cycling and water use in the Brazilian semiarid region

Abstract

It was evaluated how straw management modifies the development, growth, nutrient cycling and crop water productivity of sugarcane in the semiarid region of Brazil. The experiment was carried out using two plots with 5 ha each, being one without straw on the soil surface and one with 26 Mg•ha −1 covering the soil. Sugarcane growth and development and straw decomposition coefficient were evaluated, whereas the industrial yield, juice quality, dry matter partitioning, and crop water productivity were determined at harvesting. The straw decomposition coefficient was 0.0049 Mg•ha −1 •day −1 , and the remaining dry mass was equal to 24%. The straw affected the sugarcane growth and development until the first 100 days. The individual internode volume can be adopted as an indicator of the effect of straw on sugarcane growth because the internode volumes up to the sixth position in the with-straw treatment crop were lower than in the no-straw treatment, which was not observed in other variables of the stalks. Keeping straw on the soil surface reduced the crop lodging. Yield and juice quality were not affected, but crop water productivity was increased by keeping sugarcane straw in the field.

Drought in Northeast Brazil: A review of agricultural and policy adaptation options for food security

“…Most of grain production (90%) in NEB is farmed on the MATOPIBA region, an important new agricultural frontier including the States of Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí, and Bahia where in spite of lack of infrastructure, the cheap land prices, climate, and topography are favorable for extensive rainfed agriculture (Araújo et al, 2019). Coffee production in NEB is concentrated in the Southern part of Bahia state, whereas over 70% of sugarcane in NEB is produced in the coastal regions of Alagoas, Pernambuco, and Paraiba states (CONAB, 2020;Souza et al, 2020). The state of Bahia holds most of the national production of perennial crops and a significant share of annual crops farmed in NEB, including important commodities for Brazil, such as citrus and cotton (Figure 4).…”

Water rights in sugarcane irrigation: influence of irrigation criteria and probability levels adopted for ETo and rainfall

“…Even in areas with a humid climate, irregular distribution of rainfall in some periods can limit plant growth. Sugarcane crops and mills worldwide are located in regions with a broad climate variability; thus, dealing with these factors is essential to ensure a profitable and sustainable production (Gilbert et al, 2006;Souza et al, 2020;Fattori Junior et al, 2022;Amorim et al, 2022;Althoff and Rodrigues, 2023).…”

Decomposição e liberação do nitrogênio, fósforo e potássio da palhada de duas variedades de cana-de-açúcar no nordeste do Brasil

“…Entretanto, nos últimos anos, a área total de cana colhida mecanicamente, sem a prévia despalha a fogo, tem crescido muito no Estado de Alagoas e em outras regiões produtoras de cana-de-açúcar no Brasil (FORTES et al, 2012;IVO et al, 2013;AQUINO et al, 2018). Este aumento da área de cana colhida mecanicamente sem a prévia despalha a fogo se deve, entre outros fatores, à nova legislação trabalhista e ambiental e, também à escassez de mão-de-obra e aumento na relação do salário mais contribuição social sobre o preço médio da tonelada de cana (OLIVEIRA et., 2007;MENANDRO, 2016;SOUZA et al, 2020).…”

“…Alguns estudos já foram realizados para se quantificarem as alterações e benefícios causados pela manutenção da palhada da cana sobre a superfície do solo (OLIVEIRA et al, 1999a;GAVA et al, 2001;AQUINO et al, 2018) ou sobre a liberação dos nutrientes da palhada de cana (Oliveira et al, 1999b;FORTES et al, 2012;OLIVEIRA et al, 2018), entretanto, para o Estado de Alagoas, em decorrência de ser um novo sistema de colheita de cana, têm-se poucas informações sobre a massa de matéria seca e a liberação da palhada da cana de variedades atualmente cultivadas (IVO et al, 2013). Aquino et al (2018) e Souza et al (2020) relatam que a mudança do sistema de colheita da cana queimada para a colheita sem prévia despalha a fogo melhorou o rendimento da cultura, além de favorecer os teores de açúcar em condições de deficiência hídrica. Aquino et al (2018) observaram que a palhada deixada no solo não afetou a qualidade industrial dos colmos da cana-de-açúcar; no entanto, em condições de deficiência hídrica, os tratamentos com 50 e 75% de palha resultaram em um rendimento 76% maior em relação à cana queimada, e 29% a mais que os tratamentos 0%, 25% a 100% de palhada, favorecendo assim a maior produção de açúcar.…”