Response of soybean and corn to soil mechanical intervention and agricultural gypsum application to the soil surface

Abstract

Agricultural gypsum is considered an important tool in the improvement of soil chemical properties; however, crop responses to its application are contradictory. Studies have shown that the physical effects of soil mechanical intervention is short-lasting and has little impact on grain yield. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate corn and soybean response to soil mechanical interventions and to the application of agricultural gypsum to soil surface. The experiment involved cultivation of two crops each of soybean (i. e., 2009/2010 and 2011/2012 crop years) and corn (i. e., 2010/2011 and 2012/2013 crop years) with application of agricultural gypsum (0, 2, 4 and 6 Mg ha-1) to the soil surface during the winter of 2009, after 12 years under continuous no-tillage system and two types of mechanical intervention: chisel plowing and plowing+harrowing. Soybean responded to mechanical interventions conducted in an area under continuous no-tillage system, but showed an increase of only 10% (114 kg ha-1) in the grain yield with the use of agricultural gypsum in the 2011/2012 crop year. Gypsum caused a higher increase in the grain yield of corn than that of soybean. Moreover, the crop response to gypsum application varied considerably in the 2010/2011 crop year after mechanical interventions under continuous no-tillage cultivation.

Keywords

• Glycine max (L)
• Sistema plantio direto
• Produtividade
• Zea mays.