Soil compaction negatively impacts soil physical functions, affecting root growth and crop yield. This study aimed to evaluate different soybean cultivars’ agronomic and physiological performance as a function of compaction in Rhodic Ferralsol under no-tillage (NT) with a clay loam texture in the Brazilian Cerrado biome. The experiment was implemented in Rio Verde, Goias state, central Brazil. The experimental design was a randomized block with a 3x2 factorial scheme with six replications. The first factor corresponded to three soybean cultivars from different maturity groups (MG) identified as super-early (MG = 6.2); early (MG = 6.8), and medium (MG = 7.9). The second factor was the cultivation in compacted and uncompacted soil. The experiment evaluated the soil physical properties: bulk density, total porosity, water content at matric potential -6 kPa, aeration capacity and water and air holding capacity in 0.0-0.1 and 0.1-0.2 m layers, agronomic and physiological traits (gas exchange). Soil compaction negatively affected the agronomic traits of soybean cultivars, with better performance of the medium cycle cultivar. Net photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rates were reduced up to 50% under compaction and were not influenced by cultivars. Our findings suggest that soil compaction negatively affected the performance of soybean cultivars with lower maturity groups reflecting in lower plant height, shoot and root dry mass, number of pods and grain yield. The choice of soybean cultivars with a longer cycle can be an alternative to minimize the adverse effects of soil compaction.

Soil use and management practices influence the quantity and quality of soil organic matter (SOM). From this perspective, the objective of this work was to evaluate the carbon stock and SOM fractions in a no-tillage (NT) and crop–livestock integration (CL) system in the Cerrado biome. The treatments were divided into four areas, subdivided into an area under NT with 11 years of cultivation, two areas under CL with 5 or 10 years of cultivation, and an area of native vegetation (NV). Undisturbed and disturbed soil (Ferralsols) samples were collected in layers 0.0–0.1, 0.1–0.2, 0.2–0.4, and 0.4–0.6 m for the evaluations of soil properties, including bulk density, weighted mean diameter, clay content, carbon stock, carbon stock of light and mineral fractions, humification rate, and carbon management index. The results obtained suggest that the environments with the highest conservation of the physical properties of the soil are those that contain the highest levels of stable C. The main mechanism for C protection in the systems evaluated was mainly associated with physical protection, promoted by soil aggregates, capable of keeping C protected, and mitigation of C into the atmosphere. The values of the carbon management index in the agriculture areas were >100, indicating that these production systems could approach the soil quality of the native vegetation reference system.

A sustentabilidade na produção de alimentos pode ser implantada de diferentes formas e o início de implantação do sistema de plantio direto agrega várias técnicas que atendem a essa produção.Este trabalho avaliou a porcentagem de plantas daninhas, a produção de massa seca das plantas de cobertura e a compactação sob um sistema de plantio direto. O experimento foi conduzido na faculdade de agronomia, Universidade de Rio Verde – Goiás. Os tratamentos foram girassol (Helianthus annuus), braquiária (Brachiaria Urochloa) e área de pousio. Os resultados foram analisados com o teste de Tukey a 5%. A braquiária teve efeito negativo sobre a população de plantas daninhas, reduzindo sua população. Com a avaliação da planta em seu estádio fenológico aos 50 dias, o girassol produziu maior quantidade de massa seca quando comparado com a braquiária e o tratamento controle. A braquiária é uma espécie com potencial para descompactação do solo.

Reconhecidas pelo desempenho do sistema radicular, as forrageiras Urochloa spp. são espécies que melhoram os atributos físicos do solo (porosidade total, microporisidade, macroporosidade, densidade, diâmetro médio ponderado, diâmetro médio geométrico, percentagem de agregados, peso seco de raiz e resistência do solo a penetração). Nesta perspectiva, o objetivo deste trabalho foi caracterizar as propriedades físicos de um Latossolo Vermelho sob diferentes forrageiras do gênero Urochloa em Rio Verde - GO. O ensaio foi conduzido a campo, no período de entressafra, com plantio em faixas das espécies Urochloa brizantha Paiaguás, Urochloa Ruzizziensis e Urochloa brizantha Marandú. Ao final do ciclo das Urochloas, foram coletadas amostras de solo para avaliações de densidade, porosidade, textura, diâmetro médio ponderado e geométrico, índice de estabilidade de agregados, resistência à penetração e umidade do solo, além de peso seco da raiz. O modelo experimental utilizado foi parcelas divididas e análise de componentes principais. As espécies Urochloas brizantas (Paiaguás e Marandú) apresentaram maior potencial de formação de agregados do solo, devido a capacidade do rompimento de raízes dessas espécies. O peso seco de raízes foi o parâmetro que mais explicou a variância causada pelas diferentes Urochloas.

The objective of this work was to monitor the temporal variation of penetration resistance (PR) after soil saturation under different management systems in the Cerrado biome in three areas: two in no-tillage systems (NT with 3 and 10 years of implantation) and one of crop-livestock integration (CL with 9 years of implantation) with soybean/forage succession. Four transects were delimited in each area. The delimited area was saturated and the PR measurements were performed daily for 11 days at 10 points of the transect, and up to 0.40 m of depth. Soil moisture was determined together with PR measurements, in addition to soil hydraulic conductivity and organic carbon. PR values were more significant in the 0.10-0.20 m layer than in the 0.0-0.10 and 0.20-0.40 m layers. The NT-3 area showed a lower PR value (1.65 MPa) than the area under NT-10 and CL-9, with 2.48 and 2.69 MPa, respectively. Thus, it was possible to determine critical soil moisture values, that is, soil moisture values most susceptible to soil compaction. Thus, in the NT-3 area, the critical humidity was 0.20 kg kg−1, in the NT-10, ranging from 0.19–0.20 kg kg−1, and in the ILP-9, between 0.23– 0.20 kg kg−1. By monitoring soil moisture, it is possible to prevent management operations from restricting root growth. O objetivo deste trabalho foi monitorar a variação temporal da resistência à penetração (RP) após a saturação do solo sob diferentes sistemas de manejo no bioma Cerrado em três áreas, sendo duas no sistema de plantio direto (SPD com 3 e 10 anos de implantação) e uma de integração lavoura-pecuária (ILP com 9 anos de implantação) com sucessão soja/forrageira. Quatro transectos foram delimitados em cada área. A área delimitada foi saturada e as medidas de PR foram realizadas diariamente durante 11 dias em 10 pontos do transecto, e até 0,40 m de profundidade. A umidade do solo foi determinada juntamente com medidas de PR, além de condutividade hidráulica do solo. Os valores de PR foram mais significativos na camada de 0,10–0,20 m do que nas camadas de 0,0-0,10 e 0,20-0,40 m. A área de SPD-3 apresentou valor de PR inferior (1,65 MPa) que a área sob SPD-10 e ILP-9, com 2,48 e 2,69 MPa, respectivamente. Dessa forma, foi possível determinar valores de umidade crítica do solo, ou seja, valores de umidade do solo mais susceptíveis à compactação. Assim na área de SPD-3, a umidade crítica foi de 0,20 kg kg−1, no SPD-10, variando de 0,19–0,20 kg kg−1, e no ILP-9 entre 0,23–0,20 kg kg−1. Ao monitorar a umidade do solo, é possível evitar que as operações de manejo restrinjam o crescimento das raízes.

Sustainable intensification in tropical agriculture requires practices that simultaneously enhance soil health and crop yields. This study evaluated the effects of isolated and mixed cover crop species on soil physical quality and the performance of succession crops of soybean and corn in the Brazilian Cerrado. Fourteen cropping systems divided into a fallow treatment, isolated crops (corn, pearl millet, Brachiaria ruziziensis, Tamani grass, Coracana grass, Crotalaria spectabilis, Crotalaria ochroleuca, and Crotalaria breviflora), and five crop mixes were tested on clay-textured Rhodic Ferralsol under no-till. Assessments of soil physical properties were conducted in the field and laboratory to determine soil physical quality and soil quantification cover production. Subsequently, soybean (first season) and maize (second season) were sown in the experimental area to evaluate the residual effects of each treatment on the succeeding crops. Cover crops, especially mixes, increased dry matter production and soil cover (> 85%) and reduced surface temperature, thereby mitigating rapid residue decomposition. The mixes reduced penetration resistance in the 0–10-cm layer, increased hydraulic conductivity by up to 60% compared with fallow, and improved total porosity and bulk density. Soybean yields increased by up to 36% under mixed cropping, whereas C. spectabilis and pearl millet achieved the highest maize yields. Yield gains were strongly associated with lower soil compaction and cooler temperatures and improved infiltration. These results demonstrated that diversified cover crop systems deliver immediate and residual benefits to soil structure, water dynamics, and crop yield, offering a profitable and ecologically strategy for resilient agriculture in tropical systems.