Water retention and s index of an oxisol subjected to weed control methods in a coffee crop

Abstract

Weed control in different crops affects the chemical, physical, and biological properties of the soil and consequently its structural quality. The objective of this study was to evaluate, using water retention characteristics and the S index, the physical quality of an Oxisol (Red-Yellow Latosol), subjected to weed control during the cultivation of coffee. The following weed control methods were evaluated: harrowing, brushcutting, residue crushing, manual weeding, post-emergence herbicide application, pre-emergence herbicide application, and maintenance of soil cover with peanut forage, Brachiaria grass, and spontaneous vegetation (no weed treatment). The following properties were determined for physical characterization of the soil: bulk density, total porosity, macroporosity, microporosity, water retention, and the S index. The weed control method significantly affected the physical properties and water retention in the subsurface layer of the Oxisol. Soil bulk density, total porosity, macroporosity, and microporosity were significantly correlated with the S index. According to the S index, the physical quality of the soil was classified as very good for the various weed control methods investigated.

Agronomic practices toward coffee sustainability. A review

“…The biomass deposited maintains the superficial soil moisture and promotes fine root development (Pedrosa et al, 2014;Martinelli et al, 2017;Favarin et al, 2018;Franco Júnior et al, 2019;Resende et al, 2022). The inter-row cultivation of U. decumbens with coffee has favorable effects on soil physical and chemical characteristics, which leads to better development of the coffee root system (Siqueira et al, 2015) and increased water storage capacity under irrigation (Rocha et al, 2016). These changes also led to increased production.…”

“…Certain studies did not explicitly aim at evaluating the use of Urochloa as a coffee intercrop, but instead at weed control during the coffee planting. Although young coffee plants can suffer competition and have reduced growth (Araújo et al, 2012), significant benefits of intercropped Urochloa with coffee lines have also been described (Siqueira et al, 2015). The comparison of weed control methods, including mechanical, chemical (herbicide), and vegetation cover methods (like U. decumbens) showed that in addition to controlling weeds at the two depths analyzed (0-15 cm and 15-30 cm), there was an increase in soil pH, Ca and Mg contents, the sum of bases and cation exchange capacity, and organic matter content.…”

“…Urochloa suppresses weeds (Pais et al, 2011;Siqueira et al, 2015), increases soil enzyme activity, soil moisture, water storage, promotes fine root growth and better coffee root development (Pedrosa et al, 2014;Rocha et al, 2016;Martinelli et al, 2017;Favarin et al, 2018;Franco Júnior et al, 2019;Resende et al, 2022;Rodrigues et al, 2022) which can lead to greater yields. Urochloa has great potential for increasing soil organic C inputs, but there have been no studies that have quantified that specifically for the intercrop; still, nutrient cycling by Urochloa can be enough to fulfil all of the coffee demand for certain nutrients such as P (Baptistella et al, 2022).…”

Ground Zero? Let’s get real on regeneration : Report 1: state of the art and indicator selection

“…• Agroforestry systems, cover crops, intercropping and mulching generally improve water infiltration and retention, and can improve drainage due to positive effects on soil physical properties and water retention (Siqueira et al, 2014). However, care should be taken to avoid too much competition with coffee plants for water, light or nutrients (Delgado et al, 2021;Neither et al 2017) showed that cocoa agroforestry systems and monocultures have distinct moisture dynamics, and that cocoa and shade trees in agroforestry systems use water resources complementarily.…”