The intense and successive use of mechanization in modern cropping systems has increased soil compaction under no-till areas. In this study, we aimed to assess the performance of a fixed shank coupled with a seeder for the mitigation of soil compaction induced by machinery traffic as an efficient alternative to replacing the chiseling and subsoiling operations in no-till areas. We evaluated a long-term experiment conducted in clay loam (Rhodic Haplustox) soil in southern Brazil. The experiment was conducted under a randomized block design, whose treatments consisted of three wheel-traffic intensities: 0 wheel-traffic (0 WT), 14 wheel-traffic (14 WT), and 28 wheel-traffic (28 WT), combined with four soil tillage mechanical interventions under a no-till field: no-till (NT), no-till with a fixed shank (NT + FS), soil chiseling (SC), and soil subsoiling (SS). The soil physical attributes evaluated were the soil penetration resistance (SPR), macroporosity (MaP), microporosity (MiP), total porosity (TP), bulk density (BD), field-saturated hydraulic conductivity (K_fs), S index, and plant-available water capacity (PAWC). In addition, three critical soil physical functions were evaluated by using a soil physical quality index (SPQI). The results showed that SPR was sensitive to soil compaction and captured differences among the mechanical intervention methods. Machinery traffic caused soil compaction, increasing SPR and reducing PAWC. Soil chiseling and subsoiling promoted lower BD, a higher TP, MaP, Kfs, and higher S index at the 0.05–0.15 m soil layer. Based on the SPQI, no changes were detected in the soil physical functions between NT and NT + FS. On the other hand, SC and SS enhanced soil physical functioning by 10%. We concluded that a 15-cm deep fixed shank could not mitigate the soil compaction induced by machinery traffic at the seeder operation. Therefore, this method is less effective in improving the soil’s physical environment than chiseling and subsoiling operations. Finally, we encourage monitoring the persistence of these benefits on the soil over the subsequent crop seasons and in years with an intense water deficit along with the crop cycle.

O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar o efeito da irrigação, a aplicação de vinhaça e fertirrigação mineral via irrigação por gotejamento enterrado nos valores biométricos na fase de maturação, produção de colmos, qualidade do caldo da cana-de-açúcar e rendimento de açúcar teórico recuperável. O experimento foi instalado em blocos ao acaso, com quatro tratamentos e cinco repetições. Os tratamentos foram: adubação mineral sem irrigação; irrigação e fertirrigação de NPK com adubos minerais; irrigação e fertirrigação com vinhaça, suprindo o K e complementação do NP com adubos minerais, além de irrigação e fertirrigação com vinhaça, suprindo o NK e complementação do P com adubos minerais. O sistema de irrigação utilizado foi o gotejamento subsuperficial. Os tratamentos irrigados promoveram alterações no número de perfilhos e índice de área foliar quando comparados com o cultivo de sequeiro, independente do manejo da fertirrigação. A fertirrigação com vinhaça suprindo o K proporcionou maior Brix e produção de colmos, quando comparada ao cultivo não irrigado. A irrigação e a fertirrigação com a vinhaça atendendo ao NK, proporcionaram maior rendimento teórico de açúcar recuperável, quando comparado com o do cultivo sem irrigação.

Objetivou-se, com esta pesquisa, avaliar o efeito da irrigação, da fertigação mineral e da vinhaça, aplicadas via irrigação por gotejamento subsuperficial, no número de perfilhos, produção de colmos, qualidade tecnológica e rendimento de açúcar recuperável, nos três primeiros ciclos de cana-soca. Os tratamentos foram: T1NI - Cultivo não irrigado com adubação mineral; T2I - Cultivo irrigado e fertirrigado com fertilizantes minerais; T3Iv - Cultivo irrigado e fertirrigado com a vinhaça suprindo o K e complementação do NP via fertilizantes minerais e T4IV - Cultivo irrigado e fertirrigado, com a vinhaça suprindo o NPK. No ciclo da primeira cana-soca não houve efeito dos tratamentos sobre as variáveis; já nos ciclos subsequentes o T2I e o T3Iv exibiram maiores números de perfilhos, 17,4 e 17,2 perfilhos m-1 na segunda cana-soca e 16,6 e 16,0 perfilhos m-1 na terceira cana-soca, respectivamente. A produção de colmo foi alterada com o T4Iv obtendo-se a maior produção, 179,6 Mg ha-1, na segunda cana-soca e T2I e T3Iv na terceira cana-soca, 151,5 e 151,0 Mg ha-1, respectivamente. Não houve efeito dos tratamentos sobre a qualidade tecnológica e no ciclo da segunda cana-soca os T3Iv e T4IV exibiram elevado rendimento de açúcar, 25 e 25,9 Mg ha-1, respectivamente.

Using domestic sewage to irrigate and supply nutrients to plants is a sustainable practice; however, due to the physical and chemical properties of the domestic sewage, soil attributes and quality may be changed with its application. The aim of this study was to evaluate soil quality after two cycles of sugarcane irrigated with treated domestic sewage and surface reservoir water via subsurface drip irrigation, with and without nutritional supplementation by fertigation, and a non-irrigated control with top-dressing fertilization. Soil quality was established by applying the methodology proposed by Karlen & Stott. Physical, chemical and microbiological indicators were selected to compose the basic soil functions used to determine the quality index. Application of treated domestic sewage with fertigation increased soil electrical conductivity, Na⁺ content and exchangeable sodium percentage. Reservoir water applications with fertigation increased microbial biomass carbon and reduced the metabolic quotient, besides promoting significant effects on soil acidification indicators in comparison to reservoir water irrigation without fertigation. Despite the alteration of some soil attributes, no significant changes in the soil quality index were observed among the treatments.

Studies on the development of the root system can provide important information about responses to different management strategies, such as the use of lower quality water, also evaluating the interaction between plants and the physical properties of the soil. This study tested the hypothesis that irrigation with treated sewage effluent (TSE) supplies the water needs of sugarcane plants, increasing root growth and improving the physical properties of the soil. We evaluated the effects of subsurface dripping with TSE or surface reservoir water (SRW) on the root development of first ratoon cane (Saccharum officinarum L.) and the physical properties of dystrophic red latosol. Irrigation treatments were applied at 20 and 40 cm and soil properties were evaluated at soil depth layers of 0–20, 20–40, 40–60, and 60–80 cm. We verified that under irrigation with TSE and SRW, shallower soil layers present better porosity, soil aggregation, and aggregate stability conditions, parameters that improve the root system development and plant growth. On the other hand, deeper soil layers have lower macroporosity and higher total clay volume, indicating the possibility of compaction and greater limitations for sugarcane root growth. These results are important for understanding soil quality and provide significant information for agricultural management and for the implementation of sustainable soil conservation practices. This study shows the efficiency of TSE as an alternative water source for sugarcane crops.

The aim of the current research was to evaluate the impact of ‘Eva’ apple tress cultivation under nets with different colors as opposed to cultivation deprived of net treatment on the attributes related to the vigor of the plant, production and fruit quality. The evaluations were carried out during the 2017/18 and 2018/19 crop growing seasons at commercial production fields located in the municipality of Porto Amazonas, PR. The treatments in study consisted of a control (plants grown with no protecting net), along with plants protected by anti-hail nets of distinct colors such as white, crystal (transparent) and black. The following response variables were assessed herein: length and diameter of the branch, plant height and branch diameter as plant vigor measurements, crop production (kg plant-1) and yield (kg ha-1), and number of fruits per plant as to productive yield of the cropping system, as well as shape (height and diameter) of the fruits, mass, Hue angle, firmness, soluble solids and titratable acidity to test grade or fruit quality. There was no significant effect of protecting nets on both vigor and development of the plants. However, production and yield were consistently more expressive under crystal and white protecting nets throughout the second crop growing season. This demonstrated that ‘Eva’ apple trees were conducive to render as well as or even better than those plants bereft of protecting nets in view of the fact that the former treatments caused the plants to suffer less harmful impacts promoted by hail events, excess of wind, and sun burning disorders. The black anti-hail net resulted in negative outcomes as to coloration of the fruits in conjunction with titratable acidity, making them reddish and acidic and, therefore, less attractive for in natura commercial consumption.