Biological soil loosening by grasses from genus  Brachiaria  in crop- livestock integration

José Flávio  Neto; Eduardo  da Costa Severiano; Kátia Aparecida  de Pinho Costa; Wellingthon  Silva Guimarães Junnyor; Wainer  Gomes Gonçalves; Renata  Andrade

Biological soil loosening by grasses from genus Brachiaria in crop- livestock integration

Autores

José Flávio Neto

Eduardo da Costa Severiano

Kátia Aparecida de Pinho Costa

Wellingthon Silva Guimarães Junnyor

Wainer Gomes Gonçalves

Renata Andrade

Editor

Universidade Estadual de Maringá

Descripción

Soil compaction associated with pastures degradation can decrease animal productivity, forage longevity and compromise environmental sustainability. To confront this serious issue, the loosening potential of forages should be recognized. We evaluated the least limiting water range as indicator of biological loosening potential in relation to cultivation of grasses the genus Brachiaria in crop-livestock integration. We also evaluated the water availability to soybean crop that succeeded these grasses. Our studies were performed in two stages. In the first stage, we divided 32 plots into fo ur randomized blocks in which we cultivated corn combined with following treatments: 1 - Brachiaria brizantha cultivar Marandu; 2 - Xaraes; 3 - Piata; 4 - MG4; 5 - B. decumbens ; 6 - B. ruziziensis ; 7 - Invasive plants; and 8 - uncovered soil. We evaluated soil, to quantify the biological soil loos ening, and also forages. In the second stage, we cultivated soybean and added: 9 - conventional tillage as a control treatment, increasing number of plots to 36. Our results suggest that it is possible to cultivate Brachiaria brizantha or Brachiaria decumbens as management strategy to aid edaphic recovery. Xaraes and Piata grasses pr ovide greater soil loosening while increasing water availability to successive soybean crop.