The system of intercropping maize with other plant species has been a common practice for several years, but its use has been increasingly mainly to improve the quality of soil physical properties of notillage system. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of intercropping using different cover plants on the physical properties of soil and the productivity of maize. Field experiments were conducted on the property of Mr. Arno Paulo Deimling, located in Linha São João, in the municipality of Quatro Pontes-PR. The experiment was carried out using a randomized complete block design, with four treatments and five repetitions. The treatments were winter maize intercropped with Urochloa brizantha, Urochloa ruziziensis or black oats (Avena strigosa), and maize sown in monoculture. In winter period, the production of maize used for silage and the production of dry matter from cover crops were assessed. The physical properties of soil samples were also investigated. Cover crops did not influence the productivity of winter maize used for silage, but it promoted improvements in soil macroporosity. The cover crops promoted improvements in the macroporosity of the soil and reduction at soil penetration resistance, particularly in the area planted with U. brisantha, demonstrating its potential in improving water infiltration and soil aeration.

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The objective of the work was to evaluate the structural characteristics of black oats, forage production and remaining dry matter, conducted in a crop-livestock integration system. The treatments consisted of two black oat sowing densities (40 and 60 kg ha-1 of seeds) and crop management: no grazing, one grazing and two grazing. Plant height, number of tillers, stem diameter, stem leaf ratio and available and remaining dry matter productivity were evaluated. The available dry matter productivity was higher for the management without grazing, as well as the remaining dry matter productivity, for the first and second sampling. For the second sampling, the height of plants was greater where grazing did not occur, however, the largest number of tillers was greater for oats once grazed.

The objective of this work was to evaluate the carbon content of the physical, chemical and oxidizable fractions of soil organic matter (SOM) and to calculate the carbon management index (CMI) in an area managed under an integrated crop-livestock system (ICLS) in the western region of Paraná - Brazil. The experiment was carried out at the experimental farm, belonging to the Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná. Seventeen areas, which are managed in different ways, fifteen in ICLS and two areas of controls (Forest and Haymaking), using the design divided with two nested controls, with three replications were evaluated. Deformed and undisturbed soil samples were collected from all the areas to determine the total organic carbon (TOC), carbon stock, the physical, chemical and oxidizable fractions of SOM and the CMI in the layers of 0-0.05, 0.05-0.1 and 0.1-0.2 m. Little significant changes in the fractions were found for the management of the ICLS area in relation to the Forest and the area of Haymaking, although the Forest presented the best values for most of the studied fractions. It is recommended to adopt sustainable practices, such as ICLS, even though the average fractions tend to take time to match reference areas.

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