Short-Term dynamic of soil fertility from integrated crop-livestock systems in tropical savanna

Abstract

The chemical attributes and the total organic carbon stock of the soil, from crop-livestock integration systems for renovation of degraded pasture, with fodder sorghum, were evaluated in torpical Savanna. The experiment was carried out in randomized block design with five replications, in plots of 200 m2, in Brazilian Savanna. Treatments were (i) degraded pasture of Brachiaria decumbens cv. Basilisk; (ii) conventional renovation method for B. brizantha cv. Marandu (Control); (iii) Marandu sown in succession to sorghum monocrop for ensilage collected 0.45 m above the soil surface; and Marandu seeded simultaneously with the sorghum and harvested (iv) 0.15 and (v) 0.45 m above the soil surface. Carbon stock increases 19.9% in a short time (120 days) in the soil layer of 0.10-0.20 m for integrated crop-livestock systems treatments. All forms of renovation of pasture contributed to increases in macronutrients and reduction of Al in the soil. After 442 days, the higher soil fertility was observed for the Control tratamento indicating that this is a good method of renovation of pasture and it can be used where the crop-livestock can not.