Soil physical attributes and corn yield as a response to cover crops prior to corn

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate soil physical attributes and corn productivity of a Typic Hapludox in system including cover crops before corn. During four years the following cover crop species were used: sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea); millet (Pennisetum americanum sin. tiphoydes); lab-lab (Dolichus lablab) in no-tillage system. An additional treatment was used with a tillage system composed of a disk plow and two harrowing. The experiment was set up in randomized block with split-plot design, with four repetitions. Undisturbed soil samples were collected for physical determinations and corn yield was evaluated in 22.5 m² areas. The cover crop treatments in no-tillage promoted bigger aggregate stability and bulk density in the superficial layer, but did not affect the available water to the plants. The lab-lab cultivated prior to corn promoted smaller corn yield. The utilization of cover crop before main cash crop in no-tillage system improve soil quality in São Paulo State, Brazil.