No-Tillering System: Is It Worth Conducting Soil Scarification as an Option for “Field Reform”?

Abstract

The adoption of a no-till system presents difficulties in maintaining the potential crop yield under long-term conditions when compacted soil layers are observed in the field. The research objective was to assess the benefits of soil intervention in a traditional area of no-till system while considering the production parameters of corn (Zea mays L.) under tropical conditions. The area was installed considering 24 experimental units, including 6 treatments, a 3 × 2 scheme, and 4 repetitions (3 soil management systems and 2 crop hybrids). The soil scarification was carried out at two depths, 0.15 m and 0.30 m, to compare its influence on corn yield. The number of days of plants’ emergence, seed depth, longitudinal distribution of seedlings, phytotechnical parameters, and crop yield in the field were evaluated. The dataset was subjected to the F Test and Tukey test (p < 0.05) to compare the means by each attribute and treatment. The adopted hybrids, as well as soil-management systems in the experimental area, did not interfere with the quality of the sowing and quantitative parameters of the crop (CV = 15% for normal distribution on plants’ spacing within rows). So, there is no need to scarify soil with the aim of increasing corn yield under the evaluated field conditions.