Pigeon pea-mediated soil microbial shifts improve agroecosystem multifunctionality in long-term maize-palisade grass intercropping.

Background: Intercropping systems enhance agricultural sustainability by promoting ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF). This study examined the impact of adding pigeon pea (M + PG + PP) into a maize-palisade grass (M + PG) intercropping system under a no-till system (NTS) on soil microbial communities and ecosystem services. After five consecutive growing seasons, bulk soil samples from a soybean-based crop-livestock system were analyzed using metagenomics.

Soil fertility matters! A new conceptual model for carbon stewardship in neotropical croplands taking climate-smart agricultural practices into account.

Mismanagement of agroecosystems in Neotropical regions threatens global security, accelerating the transgression of planetary boundaries. Therefore, understanding carbon (C) stewardship and how climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices change nutrient availability plays a central role. Here, we analyzed nutrient availability, nitrogen (N) inputs, climate, and soil texture influence C flow into particulate (POC) and mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC) pools to support sustainable C management in neotropical agroecosystems.

How a Long-Term Cover Crop Cultivation Impacts Soil Phosphorus Availability in a No-Tillage System?

The growth of cover crops can contribute to the increase in phosphorus content at depth by root decomposition. The aim of this work was to verify the effect of cover crops on soil phosphorus availability and use by successive plants, and the accumulation of soil P in a no-tillage system conducted for 14 years. This research was carried out during the 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 crop seasons, whose treatments have been installed and maintained since 2003.

No-Tillage System Can Improve Soybean Grain Production More Than Conventional Tillage System.

Soil management systems can directly interfere with crop yield via changes in the soil's physical and hydraulic properties. However, short- to medium-term experiments of conduction do not always demonstrate the modifications of the management systems in these properties. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the physical properties of the soil in a long-term management system and to relate it to the storage and availability of water to plants, verifying its effect on soybean yield.

Does Forced Plant Maturation by Applying Herbicide with Desiccant Action Influence Seed Longevity in Soybean?

Herbicides with desiccant actions may be used to anticipate the harvesting of soybean seeds. This technique aims to minimize the negative influence of biotic and abiotic factors on seed physiological quality at the end of the plant cycle. However, forced seed maturation with the application of herbicides can compromise the acquisition of seed quality components, especially longevity.

Calcium and Boron Fertilization Improves Soybean Photosynthetic Efficiency and Grain Yield.

Foliar fertilization with calcium (Ca) and boron (B) at flowering can promote flower retention and pod fixation, thereby increasing the number of pods per plant and, in turn, crop productivity. The objective of this work was to investigate the effects of Ca + B fertilization during flowering on the nutritional, metabolic and yield performance of soybean ( L.) The treatments consisted of the presence and the absence of Ca + B fertilization in two growing seasons.

Soil-Plant Relationships in Soybean Cultivated under Crop Rotation after 17 Years of No-Tillage and Occasional Chiseling.

No-tillage cover crops contribute to better soil quality, being able to replace mechanized tillage management. This observation can only be made after several years of adopting conservationist practices and through research on soil-plant relationships. The objective of the research was to verify the relationship between the production components, physiological, root development, and physical-hydric properties of the soil in the yield of soybean grown in succession to different cover crops or with soil chiseling.

Lime Rate in Clayey Soils Influences Chemical Fertility and Sugarcane Yield.

Liming contributes to the alleviation of acidity in highly weathered soils. For sugarcane, the use of green harvest methods and new soil tillage systems requires an adjustment of lime application rates. In the present study, the effects of different lime rates and tillage systems on sugarcane performance and soil chemical fertility parameters were assessed.

Long-Term Lime and Phosphogypsum Amended-Soils Alleviates the Field Drought Effects on Carbon and Antioxidative Metabolism of Maize by Improving Soil Fertility and Root Growth.

Long-term surface application of lime (L) and/or phosphogypsum (PG) in no-till (NT) systems can improve plant growth and physiological and biochemical processes. Although numerous studies have examined the effects of L on biomass and plant growth, comprehensive evaluations of the effects of this practice on net CO assimilation, antioxidant enzyme activities and sucrose synthesis are lacking. Accordingly, this study examined the effects of long-term surface applications of L and PG on soil fertility and the resulting impacts on root growth, plant nutrition, photosynthesis, carbon and antioxidant metabolism, and grain yield (GY) of maize established in a dry winter region.

Magnesium Foliar Supplementation Increases Grain Yield of Soybean and Maize by Improving Photosynthetic Carbon Metabolism and Antioxidant Metabolism.

(1) Background: The aim of this study was to explore whether supplementary magnesium (Mg) foliar fertilization to soybean and maize crops established in a soil without Mg limitation can improve the gas exchange and Rubisco activity, as well as improve antioxidant metabolism, converting higher plant metabolism into grain yield. (2) Methods: Here, we tested foliar Mg supplementation in soybean followed by maize. Nutritional status of plants, photosynthesis, PEPcase and Rubisco activity, sugar concentration on leaves, oxidative stress, antioxidant metabolism, and finally the crops grain yields were determined.

Soil carbon fluxes and balances of crop rotations under long-term no-till.

Background: A field study with the same crop rotations was conducted to test the hypothesis that the soil Carbon fluxes and balances could vary according to the crop species and also mitigate carbon dioxide (CO) emission. This study aimed to assess the CO emission from crop rotations according to C and N inputs from crop residue, the influences on soil organic carbon (SOC) and total soil nitrogen (TN) stocks, identifying the soybean production systems with positive C balance. Triticale (x Triticosecale) or sunflower (Helianthus annuus) are grown in the fall/winter; sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea), forage sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), or fallow are the spring treatments, and soybean as a main crop in summer.