Autumnal Cultivation of Energetic Plants in Agroecological No-tillage System in Southern Brazil

Abstract

Cropping energetic plants could provide soil protection, additional incomes to farmers and suppress weed development without loss of food production. It also contributes to the development of no-tillage cultivation in agroecological farming system. Energetic plants such as: sunflower, crambe, canola and safflower were evaluated in no-tillage agroecological farming in autumnal planting, after soybean crop. Higher plant heights were observed in sunflower, flowering [46 days after emergency (dae)] and harvest (108 dae) was first observed in crambe plants. Intermediate earliness was observed in the sunflower (61 and 136 dae, respectively). Biomass was found greater in the sunflower compared to safflower or canola. Intermediate values were obtained for crambe plants. Greater grain and oil yields were found in descending order in sunflower, crambe, canola and cartamo. Despite the drought period occurred during crop development, sunflower and crambe yields were similar or even higher to means, than yields of these same crops in conventional fields in Brazil. Sunflower and crambe were the best options to take part in succession/rotation system after soybean spring/summer crop.