DECOMPOSITION RATES OF COVER CROP RESIDUES ON A DYSTROPHIC OXISOL
Keywords:
Tropical grasses, tropical leguminous, no-till, cerradosAbstract
The experiment was conducted at Embrapa Arroz e Feijão, Santo Antônio de Goiás, Goiás State, Brazil, on a dystrophic Oxisol under no-tillage system. The following species were used: Brachiaria, Brachiaria/corn consortium, pigeon pea, millet, guineagrass, sorghum, and Stylozanthes. The phytomass was cut, left on the soil and samples were collected, placed in nylon bags (litter bags), and periodically weighted to assess mass losses and decomposition rates, until 150 days after cutting. The relative losses of the residues, referred from the initial time to 150 days of decomposition, were in decreasing order: i) grasses – sorghum (80%) > guineagrass (64%) > millet (58%) > single Brachiaria (56%) and Brachiaria consortium (48%); and ii) leguminous – Stylozanthes (72%) > pigeon pea (65%). When the relative losses were projected to 360 days, the following order was found: i) grasses – sorghum and Brachiaria consortium (86%) > guineagrass (69%) > millet (65%) > single Brachiaria (62%); and ii) leguminous – Stylozanthes (83%) > pigeon pea (79%).
KEY-WORDS: Tropical grasses; tropical leguminous; no-till; cerrados.
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