Influence of the Use Coverage Plants and the Bioactivator in the Physical-Biological Characteristics of Soil Cultivated With Coffee

Abstract

<p>One of the alternatives to increase productivity and without harming the environment is the use of green cover associated with soil bioactivators. However, there are still incipient studies reporting the association influence of these two techniques on soil quality. In this sense, the objective in this work was to evaluate the Penergetic<sup>®</sup> bioactivator effect associated to different cover plants on the physical and biological characteristics of the soil cultivated with coffee tree. The experiment was carried out in a coffee field with <em>Catuaí Vermelho</em> cultivar IAC 144, in a randomized block design in a factorial scheme 4 (soil cover) x 2 (use or not of the Penergetic<sup>®</sup> bioactivator), consisting of control (without plant cover); oats (<em>Avena strigosa</em>) + forage turnip (<em>Raphanus sativus</em>); oats (<em>Avena strigosa</em>) + forage turnip (<em>Raphanus sativus</em>) + lupine (<em>Lupinus albus</em>) + rye (<em>Secale cereale</em>) + vetch (<em>Vicia sativa</em>) (RLSV); <em>Brachiaria brizantha</em> (<em>Urochloa brizantha</em>), associated or not with the Penergetic® bioactivator use. The experiment was conducted for 6 months and after that period physical and biological soil characteristics were analyzed. Data were analyzed by the Scott Knott test at 5% probability. The treatments containing cover plants had lower temperature and greater water retention. The bioactivator use reduced the nematodes population from the <em>Meloidogyne</em> genus and when associated to the cover plants increased the density of diazotrophic bacteria and solubilizers of phosphorus and potassium.</p>

Urochloa in Tropical Agroecosystems

“…More recently, Urochloa has been intercropped with perennial crops, such as coffee (Franco Junior et al, 2019;Silva et al, 2019) and citrus (Auler et al, 2008;Martinelli et al, 2017). Cultivated as stripes between rows, Urochloa protects the soil, reduces erosion, increases infiltration, suppresses weeds and cycles nutrients (Auler et al, 2008;Ragassi et al, 2013;Favarin et al, 2018).…”

Synergism between rhizobium strains and soil bioactivator favor sustainable production of Arachis pintoi

“…The increase in NN with the application of bioactivator can be explained by its mechanism of action, which has in its composition organic acids, which stimulate the population of soil microorganisms (Almeida et al, 2014;Silva et al, 2018;Franco Júnior et al, 2019). The formation of nodules in the treatments where there was no inoculation can be explained due to the fact that A. pintoi is a highly promiscuous species capable of nodulating with several genera and species of native rhizobia (Santos et al, 2005;Fernandes Júnior & Reis, 2008;Silva et al, 2017).…”

“…Besides inoculants with rhizobia strains, the use of other technologies such as bioactivators or soil biostimulants can also contribute to the sustainability of agroecosystems, favoring the improvement of soil quality and plant development (Almeida et al, 2014;Binsfeld et al, 2014;Franco Júnior et al, 2019). These products promote the increase in the density and diversity of soil microorganisms and consequently, favor the realization of beneficial processes, increasing the release of nutrients and promoting greater plant development (Cordeiro Júnior et al, 2019).…”

Agronomic practices toward coffee sustainability. A review

“…Using ecological mowers allows part of the shoot residue to be directed under the coffee canopy. The biomass deposited maintains the superficial soil moisture and promotes fine root development (Pedrosa et al, 2014;Martinelli et al, 2017;Favarin et al, 2018;Franco Júnior et al, 2019;Resende et al, 2022). The inter-row cultivation of U. decumbens with coffee has favorable effects on soil physical and chemical characteristics, which leads to better development of the coffee root system (Siqueira et al, 2015) and increased water storage capacity under irrigation (Rocha et al, 2016).…”

“…Urochloa suppresses weeds (Pais et al, 2011;Siqueira et al, 2015), increases soil enzyme activity, soil moisture, water storage, promotes fine root growth and better coffee root development (Pedrosa et al, 2014;Rocha et al, 2016;Martinelli et al, 2017;Favarin et al, 2018;Franco Júnior et al, 2019;Resende et al, 2022;Rodrigues et al, 2022) which can lead to greater yields. Urochloa has great potential for increasing soil organic C inputs, but there have been no studies that have quantified that specifically for the intercrop; still, nutrient cycling by Urochloa can be enough to fulfil all of the coffee demand for certain nutrients such as P (Baptistella et al, 2022).…”