Physical Properties and Crop Management for Corn in an Albaqualf

Abstract

Rice monoculture in lowlands can cause problems for management practices in crop fields, for example, in weed control. For this reason, corn in rotation with irrigated rice in lowlands may be advantageous, despite problems with soil compaction and water excess. The objective of this study was to evaluate soil physical properties and corn performance in soil management systems in an Albaqualf soil (lowlands). Two experiments were conducted in the field, in the 2013/14 and 2014/15 crop seasons. The experimental design was randomized blocks with two factors. There were three levels for the first factor, consisting of soil management practices: soil chiseling 45 days before sowing to a depth of 0.3 m; conventional tillage with two diskings to a depth of 0.1 m and subsequent leveling of the soil; and no-till. The second factor was composed of two levels: sowing on raised seedbeds, and without raised seedbeds. The soil parameters of bulk density, total porosity, macroporosity, microporosity, volumetric moisture, and soil resistance to mechanical penetration (RP) were evaluated. The corn parameters were plant height, shoot dry matter, leaf area, height of the first ear of corn, grains per ear, and grain yield. Soil chiseling resulted in lower RP and higher macroporosity in the 0.1-0.2 and 0.2-0.3 m layers. In raised seedbeds, the 0.00-0.05, 0.05-0.10, and 0.10-0.20 m layers were lower in RP and bulk density. Moreover, higher soil macroporosity was observed in relation to the treatment without raised seedbeds. In general, the highest grain yields were found in the treatments with lower RP and higher macroporosity in the root system region. Increased porosity accelerated water drainage in the soil, reducing the time that soil airspace was filled with water, which is a limiting factor for root development. In Albaqualf soils, planting corn in chiseled soil provides higher corn yields compared to conventional tillage, and planting corn on raised seedbeds provides higher corn yields compared to the lack of raised seedbeds.

Implantation Systems and Surface Irrigation for Maize Crop in Lowland Areas

“…In experiment I, plant height, leaf area index (LAI) and shoot dry mass were higher with the application of the seed implantation system with raised seedbed compared to the system without raised seedbed (Table 1). Those results corroborate the ones found by Fiorin et al (2009) and Giacomeli et al…”

“…For crop rotation with maize in those areas, there must be an efficient surface drainage system (Giacomeli et al, 2017). The application of a raised seedbed system improves drainage in the area, since the furrows formed between raised seedbeds help the excess water from precipitations and irrigations drain out, thus reducing the period of saturation of surface soil layers and the period during which roots are subjected to oxygen-deficiency (Fiorin et al, 2009).…”

No-tillage for flooded rice in Brazilian subtropical paddy fields: history, challenges, advances and perspectives

“…In contrast, other reports indicated that NT was inefficient in improving both soil physical quality and crop yields (Beutler et al, 2012;Giacomeli et al, 2017). Beutler et al (2012) and Munareto et al (2010) compared NT and CT, demonstrating that both resulted in similar effects on physical properties and did not interfere in rice yield.…”

Improving irrigation, crop, and soil management for sustainable soybean production in Southern Brazilian lowlands

“…Little increase in grain yield in flooded rice lately, along with weed resistance to the major herbicides available for rice production (Rao et al, 2007), seems to contribute to yield stabilization of about 7.5 Mg ha -1 (Conab, 2020). Rotating rice with soybean or corn crops can control weed (Fin et al, 2018;Giacomeli et al, 2017); nevertheless, less than 33 % of the lowlands have been rotated with other grain crops (Theisen et al, 2017).…”

“…The soil physical properties that favor paddy fields can increase the risk of either soil water excess or deficit by limiting soil aeration and water availability, decreasing soybean yields in lowlands (Gubiani et al, 2018). Therefore, cultivation strategies, such as soil chiseling, raised-seedbed or the use of furrow opener at the row planter (Sartori et al, 2016;Giacomeli et al, 2017) may create better conditions for soybean development, improving its yields close to the gains achieved in uplands.…”