Fauna and microbial attributes of an Ultisol under cover crop systems in the South of Brazil

Authors

  • Denice Oliveira Almeida Centro Universitário União Dinâmica das Cataratas, Rua Castelo Branco, no 349, Centro, CEP 85852-010 Foz do Iguaçu, PR.
  • Cimélio Bayer Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Faculdade de Agronomia, Departamento de Solos, Avenida Bento Gonçalves, no 7.712, CEP 91540-000 Porto Alegre, RS.
  • Henrique Cesar Almeida Universidade Federal da Integração Latino-Americana, Instituto Latino Americano de Ciências da Vida e da Natureza, Avenida Tancredo Neves, no 6.731, CEP 85867-970 Foz do Iguaçu, PR.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/S1678-3921.pab2016.v51.22471

Keywords:

bioindicators, microbial biomass, cover crop intercropping, edaphic organisms, no-tillage, soil quality.

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate, in a long-term experiment, the fauna and microbiological attributes of an Ultisol under no-tillage cover crop. The study was carried out in Eldorado do Sul, RS, Brazil, after 27 years of implantation of an experiment evaluating the following crop systems: O/C, oat/corn; V/C, vetch/corn; OV/C, oat + vetch/corn; OV/CP, oat + vetch/corn + cowpea; and L/M, lablab/corn. A randomized complete block design was used, with three replicates. Samplings of fauna, performed with pitfalls, and of microbiological attributes were done after cover crop management, in spring; during corn crop cycle, in summer; after corn crop harvest, in autumn; and during cover crop cycle, in winter. The inclusion of legume intercropped or in succession to cover crops promoted the occurrence of edaphic fauna and increased microbial biomass C and N, which favored cycling potential and nutrient availability. The O/C cover crop system with grasses favored the Diptera, Hemiptera, and Diplopoda orders. Overall, the best cover crop systems under notillage are those with legume inclusion.

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Published

2016-10-17

Issue

v.51, n.9, set. 2016: Número Temático O solo como fator de integração entre os componentes ambientais e a produção agropecuária

Section

SOLO E AMBIENTE (TEMÁTICO)

How to Cite

Almeida, D. O., Bayer, C., & Almeida, H. C. (2016). Fauna and microbial attributes of an Ultisol under cover crop systems in the South of Brazil. Pesquisa Agropecuaria Brasileira, 51(9), 1140-1147. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1678-3921.pab2016.v51.22471

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