Productivity of coffee and legumes intercropped under different sun exposure face

Abstract

In mountainous regions, the amount of time that the land is exposed to the sun is one of the factors that influence the productive potential of legumes. The aim of our study was to evaluate, for two different terrain aspects under sun exposure faces, the production of green and dry matter, as well as the nutrient accumulation in the aerial part of legumes and the coffee productivity. The northwestfacing terrain is at 950 m altitude, the average annual temperature is 18.0 °C, the average rainfall is 1320 mm and the average daily solar exposure is 9.1 h. The south-facing terrain is at 690 m altitude, the average annual temperature is 14.0 °C, the average rainfall is 1277 mm and the average daily solar exposure is 6.8 h.The main soil of both terrains are a clayey dystrophic Red-Yellow Oxisol. The experimental design was inrandomized blocks with a 2 x 8 factorial scheme (two different terrain aspects and 8 types of green manure), and four replications were performed.On the northwest-facing terrain, D. lablab, C. spectabilis, and S. deeringianum had the highest amount of dry matter (3.31, 2.98, and 2.85 Mg ha-1 , respectively) and nitrogen accumulation (111.54, 91.83, and 91.51 kg ha-1 , respectively).The most promising legumes on the south-facing terrain (lower altitude, lower temperature, and lower incidence of light) for dry matter productions were C.

Biological Nitrogen Fixation by Legumes and N Uptake by Coffee Plants

“…Additionally, the low recovery of the N in the fertilizers -around 50-60 % (Cantarella, 2007) -highlights the need to seek alternatives that enable the use of local inputs without affecting agricultural production (Perez et al, 2004). Thus, the use of legumes that can efficiently facilitate BNF may contribute to the economic viability and sustainability of coffee production systems by reducing the need for use of synthetic N (Brito et al, 2009;Guimarães et al, 2016).…”

Host Status of Cover Crops for the Management of Pratylenchus jaehni on Coffee

“…Jack bean, dwarf mucuna, and pigeon pea are leguminous cover crops that can fix nitrogen, and upon termination of these cover crops, their residues may supply part of the nitrogen needs for coffee ( Partelli et al ., 2011 ). Legumes such as showy rattlebox, pigeon pea, and hyacinth bean had been demonstrated to increase coffee productivity when intercropping as ground cover with coffee ( Guimarães et al ., 2016 ). However, cover crops planted too close to the coffee plants may provoke coffee yield reduction, due to competition for water, light, and nutrients ( Paulo et al ., 2001 ).…”

Nutrient Release From Green Manure Under Different Sun-Exposed Faces

“…The soils in the Zona da Mata region of Minas Gerais are characterized by being highly weathered and acid, with low fertility and low concentration of nutrients available to plants (Matos et al, 2008;Coelho et al, 2013;Guimarães et al, 2016). For family coffee growers in the region, the use of chemical fertilizer to replenish the nutrients is not feasible due to the low level of available funds, making integrated management of nutrients and water necessary in these areas.…”

“…The majority of the coffee plantations in the region are installed on relief ranging from wavy to strongly wavy (Guimarães et al, 2016). This relief situation and coffee cultivation without soil cover are conditions favorable for erosion and with it, high soil, water, organic matter and nutrient losses, making coffee an agricultural activity with low environmental sustainability (Matos et al, 2008).…”