Cover crops optimize soil fertility and soybean productivity in the Cerrado of MATOPIBA, Brazil

The main challenge of soybean cultivation in Brazil’s last agricultural frontier is to ensure sustainable production. This study aimed to evaluate the use of cover crops (CC) to improve soil fertility, plant nutrition, and soybeans productivity grown in the Cerrado of Brazil. The study was carried out on a farm located in the state of Maranhão, Brazil, with nine treatments, fallow and CC preceding soybean cultivation: (i) Millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.); (ii) Marandu (Urochloa brizantha); (iii) Ruziziensis (Urochloa ruziziensi); (iv) Tanzania (Megathyrsus maximum); (v) Massai (Megathyrsus maximum); (vi) cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.); (vii) pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L.); and (viii) Crotalaria (Crotalaria juncea). An analysis for the characterization of the biomass of cover crops and fallow was carried out. Soil chemical and biological properties, soybean foliar nutrient concentrations, and the soybean seed yield and quality grown in sequence to the CC were also analyzed. Soil microbial carbon was favored by the cultivation of ‘Marandu’, ‘Ruziziensis’, ‘Tanzania’, and cowpea. Nutrient cycling promoted by CC contributed to the maintenance of soil quality and increases in the leaf nutrient concentrations of soybeans. The cultivation of millet, ‘Tanzania’, ‘Massai’, cowpea, and C. juncea increased the soybean yield. Cover crops improved soil fertility while increasing soybean productivity, thus being an effective strategy for the achievement of sustainable soybean production.

Instituto de Suelos

Fil: Freitas de Andrada, Hosana Aguiar. Federal University of Piauí. Center of Agricultural Sciences; Brasil.

Fil: Sagrilo, Edvaldo. Embrapa Meio-Norte. Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation; Brasil

Fil: Lustosa de Oliveira Júnior, José Oscar. Embrapa Meio-Norte. Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation; Brasil

Fil: de Sousa, Daiane Conceicao. Federal University of Southern Bahia, Department of Agroforestry Sciences; Brasil

Fil: de Menezes Costa, Carlos Pedro. Federal Institute of Education, Science, and Technology of Piauí; Brasil

Fil: Muñiz Costa, Paula. Federal University of Lavras. Department of Soil Science; Brasil

Fil: de Araujo Neto, Raimundo Bezerra. Embrapa Meio-Norte. Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation; Brasil

Fil: Cardoso Mota de Alcantara, Rosa María. Embrapa Meio-Norte. Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation; Brasil

Fil: Carvalho Leite, Luis Fernando. Embrapa Meio-Norte. Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation; Brasil

Fil: Barros Furtado, Mariléia. Federal University of Maranhão. Chapadinha Science Center; Brasil

Fil: Beltran, Marcelo Javier. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Suelos; Argentina

Fil: Cafaro La menza, Nicolás. University of Nebraska-Lincoln. West Central Research, Extension and Education Center. Department of Agronomy and Horticulture; Estados Unidos

Fil: Cafaro La Menza, Nicolás. University of Nebraska-Lincoln. West Central Research, Extension and Education Center. Department of Agronomy and Horticulture; Estados Unidos

Fil: Antunes de Souza, Henrique. Embrapa Meio-Norte. Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation; Brasil