Effect of winter cover crops on corn growing under zero-tillage system

Authors

  • Ivan Iuri Bonjorno Programa de Recuperação Ambiental e de Apoio ao Pequeno Produtor Rural PRAPEM/MICROBACIAS,Paraíso/SC
  • Lauro Artur Otávio Martins Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina - UFSC
  • Marcos Alberto Lana Leibniz-Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Munchenberg -Alemanha
  • Leandro do Prado Wildner Epagri/Cepaf, Chapecó/SC - Brasil
  • Henrique von Hertwig Bittencourt Instituto Agronômico do Paraná, Pato Branco/PR–Brasil
  • Círio Parizotto EPAGRI - SC
  • Jamil Abdala Fayad EPAGRI - SC
  • Jucinei José Comin Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina - UFSC
  • Miguel Angel Altieri Uiniversidade da Califórnia - Berkeley
  • Paulo Emílio Lovato

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33240/rba.v5i2.49106

Keywords:

agroecological management, spontaneous plants, soil cover, yield, familiar farming

Abstract

With the aim of assessing the feasibility of using zero-tillage with no herbicides, different mixtures of rye, vetch and oilseed radish were tested for the control of resident vegetation and promotion of maize yield. Cover crop biomass, soil cover, and resident vegetation biomass were measured during winter. Soil cover was higher than 80% during all the season, with no significant differences among the measured variables. The use of cover crops allowed for satisfactory growth of maize, which had yields (6.0-6.0 t.ha-1) above the average in the region, with no difference among tratments. The comparison of harvested grain value and cover crop seed costs showed that no-herbicide zero-tillage growth of maize is viable.

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Published

2010-11-26

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