Granulometric fractions of soil organic matter in intercropping of off-season corn with Marandu grass under nitrogen sources

Abstract:

The objective of this work was to determine the effect of off-season corn intercropped with Urochloa brizantha 'Marandu' and of nitrogen sources on the granulometric fractions of soil organic matter under a notillage system. The treatments were arranged in a 2x4 factorial arrangement - two types of corn cultivation (with or without pasture) and four nitrogen sources (without nitrogen, urea, ammonium sulfate+urea, and ammonium sulfate) -, in randomized complete blocks with four replicates. The experiment was carried out from 2005 to 2013. Soil sampling was performed in 2013, after corn harvest in fall/winter, at four depths: 0-5, 5-10, 10-20, and 20-40 cm. Total (TOC), labile (LC), particulate (POC), and mineral-associated organic carbon (MOC) contents were determined. The intercropping of corn with U. brizantha 'Marandu' results in a higher concentration of TOC, LC, and POC than single corn cultivated in fall/winter. Ammonium sulfate+urea increases TOC contents at the 0-5-cm depth, but decreases them at the 20-40-cm depth, besides increasing the MOC contents at all depths. The highest total, labile, and particulate organic carbon contents are observed at the 0-5 and 5-10-cm depths.

Index terms:
Zea mays; physical fractionation; light organic matter; no-tillage