Plantas de cobertura de solo consorciadas e em cultivo solteiro: Decomposição e fornecimento de nitrogênio ao milho

Abstract

No-tillage system is a soil management practice which predominates in the agricultural fields of Rio Grande do Sul Plateau. For its success, is essential the permanent vegetal soil cover maintenance and an adequate crop rotation system. However, many areas remain in fallow during the winter or the main cover crop used is oat in pure stand. It s necessary to introduce new species of cover crops for rotation with the oat in the winter and also for the use in mixtures, in order to conciliate the soil protection and the nitrogen supply to crops in succession. The objective of this work was to evaluate the decomposition and nitrogen supply to the no-tillage corn, using cover crops in mixture or in purestands. The study was conducted in Nao-Me-Toque, RS, in an Oxisol. It was evaluated ten treatments which consisted of four cover crops in pure stands [rye (Secale cereale L), oat (Avena strigosa Schreb), winter pea (Pisum sativum subsp. arvense) and oilseed radish (Raphanus sativus L. var. oleiferus Metzg)], five of mixtures [(rye + winter pea, rye + oilseed radish, oat + oilseed radish, rye + common vetch (Vicia sativa L) and oat + common vetch)] and one in fallow, with spontaneous vegetation of the area. The decomposition dynamics and nitrogen release was evaluated by conditioning the crop residues of each treatment in mesh bags which were placed on the soil surface and collected at 7, 14, 21, 28, 57, 117, 164 days. After the management of cover crops, the main plots were subdivided into six subplots where the no-tillage corn was fertilized with six nitrogen levels: zero, 50% of N recommended amount by the Comissão de Química e Fetilidade do Solo- RS/SC (CQFS) (2004), the N recommended amount by the CQFS but only in top dressing, 100, 150 and 200% of the N recommended amount by the CQFS. The oilseed radish was the specie that, in pure stand or mixed to rye and oat, had a highest dry matter yield and N accumulation. The decomposition rate and nitrogen release was inversely proportional to the C/N ratio of residues. When mixed, the rate of decomposition and nitrogen release of residues from cover crops was intermediate to that observed for pure stands. The use of cover crops enhanced the corn yield in 11.2%, relatively to the fallow.