Prediction of Sugarcane Yield by Soil Attributes under Straw Removal Management

Abstract

Core Ideas Soil changes induced by short‐term sugarcane straw removal did not influence the crop yield. The yield of sugarcane straw and stalk can be predicted using soil attributes under fields managed with straw removal. Meteorological conditions may alter the straw/stalk ratio and thus influence the sugarcane straw yield. Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) straw removal from the field has the potential to produce short‐term gains at the cost of long‐term sustainability. The objective of this study was (i) to develop a model capable to predict sugarcane yield (straw and stalk) by soil attributes and (ii) to discover why yields are minimally impacted following straw removal. In this 2‐yr experiment, the sugarcane straw removal effects on crop yields and soil attributes were investigated at two sites, Valparaíso and Capivari, in southeastern Brazil. Soil samples from the 0–5, 0–10, 0–20, and 0–30 cm were analyzed for C, N, Ca, Mg, P, K, pH, bulk density (BD), and soil penetration resistance (PR). The data were subjected to descriptive statistical, geostatistical, correlation and regression analyses. The findings showed that the straw and stalk yield can be predicted using soil attributes data at sites where the straw is removed. The best modeling coefficients for stalk yield were obtained using soil data from the 0–20 cm layer. The straw removal induced reduction in soil C, chemical and physical quality (0–5 cm) depending on site, but did not result in lower yields. The research findings provide important information that will lead to sustainable bioenergy production in Brazil.

Multilocation Straw Removal Effects on Sugarcane Yield in South-Central Brazil

“…Sandy soils have a predominance of macropores, promoting faster water drainage and reduced capacity of water retention relative to clay soils [42]. Therefore, clay soils sustained greater sugarcane yields than sandy soils, as consistently reported in the literature [5,12,35].…”

“…In that region, sugarcane cultivation extends for 9.1 million ha [9], including a wide range of climatic conditions [32]. Several studies have indicated a direct relationship between crop yield and/or yield response to straw management with regional variations on climatic conditions in south-central Brazil [4,5,12,[33][34][35]. In our study, the sugarcane yield varied on a regional scale, indicating average yields of 129, 64, 82, and 99 Mg ha −1 of fresh stalk in southern Goiás and western, central-eastern, and northern São Paulo, respectively ( Table 3).…”

Effect of crop residue management on soil organic carbon, soil organic matter and crop yield: An overview

“…In China, Gao et al (2018) reported that the effect of different crop residue management systems apply on plant roots. They showed that dry weight and crop yield was higher in the residue field, means residue returned nutrient in to the soil In a Brazilian study, Satiro et al (2019). They observed that by removal of straw reduced soil carbon from the surface 5 cm but did not reduce yield.…”

Simulating sugarcane yield response to ETc replacements and green cane trash blanket maintenance in Brazil

“…It is important to mention that the simulations considered a 30-year time series for crop regrowth and for carbon cycling in the soil, which might be an overly short period of time in terms of possible yield gains (Marin et al, 2014b). Even so, previous studies conducted via short-term evaluations in sugarcane crop systems confirmed that even when GCTB removal did not influence the crop yield, it could still be sufficient to reduce soil organic matter and nutrient cycling and increase compaction (Satiro et al, 2019). Still, Sousa et al (2018) reported that only after three years of keeping sugarcane GCTB on the soil surface, carbon and nitrogen stocks within the surface soil layer were significantly increased.…”