DESEMPENHOS TÉCNICOS E ECONÔMICOS DA CONSORCIAÇÃO DE MILHO COM FORRAGEIRAS DOS GÊNEROS Panicum E Brachiaria EM SISTEMA DE INTEGRAÇÃO LAVOURA-PECUÁRIA
The objective of this research was to evaluate the technical and economic performance of methods for corn cropping with Brachiaria and Panicum genuses forages, in crop-livestock integration systems under no-tillage. The experiment was conducted in Selviria, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil, in a Distroferric Red Latosol (Oxisol), during the growing seasons of 2007 and 2008. The experimental design was a randomized block with four replications. The treatments consisted of eight methods for growing corn intercropped with Panicum maximum cv. Tanzania, Panicum maximum cv. Mombaca, Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu, and Brachiaria ruziziensis , sown simultaneously or at side dressing nitrogen fertilization, besides single grown corn. The operating cost analysis was based on prices of inputs and operations, and the revenue at the average price for corn in Sao Paulo State. The decreasing cost-benefit ratio and the best economic returns, obtained due to higher index of contribution margin, determined the most feasible cropping methods. The Panicum maximum cv. Mombaca and Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu, intercropped simultaneously with corn, provided less grain yield than single grown corn. As related to technical and economic benefits of the consortium to be used in crop-livestock integration systems, the most recommended is corn with Panicum maximum cv. Tanzania, mainly in the simultaneous sowing. However, technical and economic results in the long term, with different prices and yields, must be evaluated. KEY-WORDS: Contribution margin; grain yield; cost-benefit ratio; no-tillage system; Zea mays L.
Integração lavoura e pecuária: o estado da arte e inovações tecnológicas
Sustainability is an actual theme and very present in all discussion in the tropical agriculture world, including Brazil. This country experienced high taxes of development in agribusiness, increasing exportation trading, producing foods of better quality and raising incoming rates of farmers. However, two mains aspects call the attention in respect to sustainability: excessive soil preparation with monoculture of annual crops and pasture degradation. These situations have brought losses in crop and livestock yields, increased soil degradation and collapse of natural resources. Continuous cropping of monoculture accelerates attacks of insects and diseases, specially the ones related to soil interactions. Technologies such as minimum tillage, crop rotation and crop-livestock integration can alleviate these problems and drive agriculture to sustainability. Minimum tillage has increase to more than 60% of soil tillage usage in Brazil. Adoption of this system in large scale, covering more regions, with different clime and soil, is highly dependent of crops that produce high amounts of residues and straw for better soil coverage. Crop-livestock integrated systems (CLIS) have been cultivated with many crops, such as: soybeans, corn, pearl millet, sorghum, cotton, sunflower, etc. and especially perennial tropical grasses asBrachiaria spp, intercropped or not. CLIS can be one important alternative to pasture recuperation and improvement of annual crops. They increase straw to minimum tillage systems, improve soil chemical, physical and biological properties, and better use of equipments, farmers income, and jobs in rural area. This paper analyze the state of the art in CLIS research, later results, and bring some considerations for the near the future of CLIS in Brazil.
Macrofauna invertebrada do solo em sistema integrado de produção agropecuária no Cerrado - DOI: 10.4025/actasciagron.v30i5.5974
The objective of this work was to evaluate the density and diversity of soil invertebrate macrofauna in a crop-livestock rotation production system under no-tillage. The field experiment was performed in Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil, on a Typic Hapludox soil, in parcels under a conventional monoculture system, a crop-livestock rotation system under no-tillage and continuous pasture, and a native vegetation fragment. The evaluations were conducted in January 2002, June 2002, January 2003 and July 2003, according to the method recommended by the Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility (TSBF) program. Systems with less anthropic interference showed greater abundance and richness of soil invertebrate macrofauna.