Chemical attributes of the soil and agronomic characteristics of maize as a monocrop and intercropped with herbaceous and woody legumes in the savannah of Roraima, Brazil

Abstract

Several studies seek to identify management systems that promote an increase in soil quality. As such, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of combinations of herbaceous and woody legumes on the productivity of green maize and the chemical attributes of the soil. The research was developed over two crop years (2016 and 2017). The experimental design was of randomized complete blocks with three replications and subdivided plots, in a 2 × 5 factorial scheme, representing the presence and absence of an alley cropping system with gliricidia, and five intercrops of maize with legumes: Maize + jack bean planted at the same time; maize + pigeon pea planted at the same time; maize + velvet bean planted 15 days after the maize; maize + Crotalaria juncea planted at the same time; single maize crop. The alley system increases the total and commercial productivity of husked cobs in maize intercropped with velvet bean. Intercropping maize with legumes under an alley system helps to increase the levels of phosphorus and potassium in the soil. Irrespective of the type of intercrop, green manure with legumes increases the soil organic matter content of farmed land in Roraima.