Establishment of perennial forages intercropped with soybean for integrated crop-livestock systems

Abstract

-The objective of this work was to evaluate soybean (Glycine max) grain yield and the establishment of perennial intercropped forages. Soybean was evaluated in sole crop and intercropped with the following forages: Megathyrsus maximus, Aruana and BRS Tamani cultivars; Urochloa brizantha, Xaraés, BRS Piatã, and BRS Paiaguás cultivars; U. decumbens; and U. ruziziensis. A randomized complete block design was used, with seven replicates, in the 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 crop seasons. In the intercropped system, the forages were sown 21 and 14 days after soybean emergence, in the first and second crop seasons, respectively. Grain yield did not differ for soybean in sole crop or intercropped, except for soybean + U. ruziziensis and soybean + 'BRS Paiaguás', which were less productive in the second year of evaluation. The 'BRS Tamani' forage was the most suited for intercropping with soybean, considering its morphological characteristics and its low competition potential. Soybean intercropped with perennial forages contributes to suppress weed growth and, overall, does not compromise soybean yield.

Brachiaria and Panicum maximum in an integrated crop–livestock system and a second-crop maize system in succession with soybean

“…These results are important for selecting the correct forage grass for an integrated crop-livestock system, with the potential to improve animal performance during the off-season and subsequently improve the biomass production of the subsequent crop. For many years, B. ruziziensis was considered one of the primary forage grass species for use in integrated crop-livestock systems for biomass production; however, new cultivars have emerged that have shown better potential, as reported in studies by Flávio Neto et al (2015) on Xaraes palisadegrass and by Machado et al (2017) on Tamani guinea grass.…”

Yield of Soybean in Different Systems of Pasture Replacement With and Without Soil Scarification

“…One of the most effective practices to obtain high yields in a production system, is the consortium of soybean with grass, thus providing a great saving of nitrogen fertilization due to the great capacity that the soybean has, to perform biological nitrogen fixation (Macuri, 2008). According to Machado et al (2017), soybean intercropped with palisade grass contributes to controlling weed growth and, in general, does not reduce soybean yield. …”

Symbiotic interaction in forage crop cultivations: A review

“…The increasing lands exploration over the last years has substantially increased to supply the demand of food and fodder production in several sectors (Wu and Ma, 2015). In line with this fact, mal practices on soil usage and inappropriate management of plants cause soil and grassland degradation (Machado et al, 2017) it diminishes the environmental diversity and quality. In the world, grassland occupies approximately 3.6 billion hectares, being responsible to sequestrate around 20% of carbon dioxide that is released to the atmosphere.…”

“…Ecosystems conservation and biodiversity maintenance are the most important practices for agricultural production. The usage of technics such as consortium of leguminous and grassy; and the agrosilvopastoral system, support better profit of natural resources, such solar radiation, which causes great efficiency on land usage and promotes the productive efficiency (Machado et al, 2017;Xu et al, 2017).…”

“…This type of system has gained appreciation of several producers in different regions in the world due to the fodder stability over the years. Another feature of this system is the thermal comfort provided to animal due to the shading caused by trees, which offers a smaller thermal amplitude and maintenance of soil and air humidity, increasing, thus, the animal welfare (Ferreiro-Domínguez et al, 2016;Machado et al, 2017).…”