Decomposition of straw resulting from different strategies of recovery of degraded pastures using an integrated crop-livestock system

Abstract

Several strategies have been used to improve soil fertility using integrated crop-livestock (ICL) systems, and the harvest of the accompanying crop used for silage may have several benefts to the soil depending on the quantity and quality of the remaining litter, providing dry matter (DM) for no-tillage systems and nutrient mineralization for the subsequent crop. The objective of this study is to evaluate the rate of decomposition of macro-and micronutrients of the DM of litter produced in ICL systems at different harvest heights in one year. The study was developed at the Experimental Farm of UNESP in Selvíria, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, in the dry season. The study included fve replications in plots of 200 m2 and was arranged in a completely randomized block design. The following treatments were analyzed: control sample-degraded pasture of signal grass; Marandu grass-pasture renewal from signal grass to Marandu grass; succession 45-planting of sorghum (forage sorghum cv. Volumax) and crop harvest at the height of 45 cm for silage followed by planting of Marandu grass; simultaneous seeding of Marandu grass and sorghum, and crop harvesting for silage at the height of 15 cm (Marandu + sorghum 15) and 45 cm (Marandu + sorghum 45) from the soil surface. After crop harvesting, proportional amounts of green mass remaining from each unit were collected, transferred to nylon bags, and placed in direct contact with the soil of the respective experimental unit. Each bag was opened every 30 days after closure for up to 270 days. In each bag, the DM, and macro-and micronutrients were analyzed, and the percentage of remaining material, daily decomposition rate, and half-life were calculated. The litter of the Marandu + sorghum 45 treatment contained the highest DM, decomposition rate, and nutrient content. The crop succession provided the best condition of the litter, with the highest DM on the soil surface, which improved soil conditions and made the soil less susceptible to degradation.