Manejo de plantas de cobertura de inverno na produtividade de milho

Abstract

Cover plants have of great importance in the no-tillage system, contributing to the maintenance of soil moisture content, suppression of invasive plants, etc. The cultivation of corn in succession of cover crops has been increasingly common in southern Brazil, where their management can interfere with the final yield of the crop. Thus, the aim of this study were to evaluate the sowing quality and maize crop yield, when subjected to different forms of winter cover management. The experiment was carried out in the 2019/2020 season, in a randomized block experimental design, with a factorial scheme, consisting of the combination of two cover plant species (black oat and mix) and three straw managements (crushed, rolled and dried). Dry matter of cover crop, plant population, plant height, stem diameter, number of rows per spike, number of grains per row, mass of a thousand grains and yield were evaluated. Data were subjected to analysis of variance and when the F test value was significant at 5% of probability, Tukey's test was applied to compare means. The desiccation management of cover crops resulted in high grain yield and good amount of dry mass. High production of dry matter and higher grain weight was observed in the management of rolled straw. Finally, it was found that many of the corn crop yield components are little influenced by the types of cover crops and different management methods adopted for them.