Chemical Properties of Soil and Cassava Yield as a Function of Weed Management by Cover Crops in the Amazon Ecosystem

Daniel Oscar Soares, Karla Gabrielle Pinto, Prasanta Chitta Bhowmik and Sônia Maria Albertino
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Daniel Oscar Soares: Programa de Pós-graduação em Agronomia Tropical, Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Manaus 69067-005, Brazil
Karla Gabrielle Pinto: Programa de Pós-graduação em Agronomia Tropical, Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Manaus 69067-005, Brazil
Prasanta Chitta Bhowmik: Stockbridge School of Agriculture, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
Sônia Maria Albertino: Programa de Pós-graduação em Agronomia Tropical, Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Manaus 69067-005, Brazil

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 3, 1-13

Abstract: Cassava ( Manihot esculenta ) yields are severely affected by the interference of weed plants. Using cover crops for weed control appears as a sustainable alternative practice because it maintains the soil covered and reduces the need for herbicides. The aim of this study was to assess cassava crop yields and the soil chemical properties as a function of use of cover crops for weed management. Treatments were three cover crops ( Brachiaria ruziziensis , Canavalia ensiformis , and Mucuna pruriens ), chemical control, mechanical control, and treatment with no weed control. Cover crops reduced the diversity of species and the quantity of individuals of the weed community in cassava cultivation. The treatments with chemical and physical weed control achieved higher yields. The cover crops B . ruziziensis and C . ensiformis increased cassava yields by 30% and 14%, respectively, when compared with the treatment with no control. The cover crops increased the pH, MO, K, Ca, and Mg values when compared with the treatments with chemical and mechanical weed control. Brachiaria ruziziensis and C. ensiformis are recommended as a cover plants in cassava production systems in the Amazon region. The use of cover crops associated with cassava is a sustainable management option because, in addition to the suppressive effect on weeds, cover crops improve the chemical properties of soil, which may contribute to increasing cassava production in the long term.

Keywords: Brachiaria ruziziensis (syn. Urochloa ruziziensis ); Canavalia ensiformis; Manihot esculenta; Mucuna pruriens; soil fertility; weed control (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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