Integrating agricultural land uses is a suitable alternative for fostering economic development and improving food security. However, the effects of long-term integrated systems on soil erosion and water infiltration are still poorly understood. Here, we investigate the influence of different agricultural land uses on soil erosion and water infiltration in an Oxisol site located in the Brazilian Cerrado region. The experimental area consisted of continuous grazing under variable stocking rates with regular fertilization (CG-RF), continuous cropping under no-till (CC-NT) and no-till with 4-year subsoiling (CC-SS), rotation of one year cropping and three years livestock in the livestock phase (C1-L3), rotation of four years cropping and four years livestock in the cropping phase (CL-4C) and in the livestock phase (CL-4L), and integrated crop-livestock-forestry in the cropping phase (CLF-C) and in the livestock phase (CLF-L). To evaluate water infiltration and soil loss, we used a rainfall simulator with a constant rainfall intensity of 74.9 ± 3.6 mm h⁻¹ in plots of 0.7 m². We carried out 72 rainfall simulations comprising four repetitions in each treatment under vegetation and bare soil. Stable infiltration rate (SIR) ranged from 45.9 to 74.8 mm h⁻¹ and 19.4 to 70.8 mm h⁻¹ under vegetation covers and bare soil, respectively. Our findings indicated that SIR values under CLF-C were 60% greater than under CG-RF. We also found that soil loss rates under CLF-C were 50% smaller than under CG-RF. The crop–livestock rotation period that presented better results of SIR and soil loss was one year of cropping and three years of livestock (C1-L3). Overall, we noted that SIR and soil loss values under CLF-C are similar to the Cerrado native vegetation. Therefore, our study reveals the opportunity to increase agricultural production, improve food supply, and reduce soil erosion with adequate soil and agricultural management.

The objective of this two-year study was to evaluate live weight gain per animal and per area and their relationships with the characteristics of BRS Ipyporã (Brachiaria ruziziensis × Brachiaria brizantha) and Marandu (Brachiaria brizantha) pastures. A completely randomized block design was used with two treatments and four replicates. The grazing method was rotational stocking, with variable stocking rate. Stocking rate was adjusted twice a week during the grazing period (six or seven days) and post-grazing canopy height target of 15 cm. Animals were weighed every 28 days. Pastures were evaluated pre-grazing to estimate forage accumulation rate, forage mass (FM), leaf (LP) and stem (SP) percentages, and nutritive value. In the post-grazing, FM, LP, and SP were evaluated. Marandu palisadegrass pastures had greater FAR, pre-grazing FM, and hence, a greater SR when compared with BRS Ipyporã. However, compared with Marandu, BRS Ipyporã showed greater LP, leaf:stem ratio, crude protein, and in vitro organic matter digestibility, resulting in greater individual live weight gain. The lesser stocking rate in Ipyporã pastures was compensated, providing a greater individual live weight gain of steers, resulting in a similar live weight gain per area for the two cultivars. Thus, BRS Ipyporã is a good alternative for the diversification of pastures in the Cerrado region.

This study examines the residual effect of nitrogen (N) doses on the carbon (C) and N stocks and on soil quality in an area cultivated with guinea grass. The pastures received three annual doses of N (100, 200 and 300 kg ha⁻¹) from 2015 to 2017. In 2018, N fertilization was not applied so the residual effect of the nutrient could be characterized. Soil chemical attributes, C and N stocks, density and penetration resistance and root system characteristics were evaluated at different depths. No difference was observed between the N doses for soil density, which averaged 1.22 and 1.25 g cm⁻³ under and between the tussocks of guinea grass, respectively. Penetration resistance was affected by the N doses post-grazing, with the highest value (1.9 MPa) observed in pastures that received 300 kg ha⁻¹ of N for three consecutive years. Root dry mass was not affected by the N doses. There was no effect of N doses on the average (19.7 mg ha⁻¹) or total (134.3 mg ha⁻¹) C stock in the soil. The total N stock did not change (11.3 mg ha⁻¹) in response to the N doses; however, the average N stock was higher in the soil cultivated with guinea grass under the N dose of 300 kg ha⁻¹ (1.7 mg ha⁻¹). The N doses had little interference with the soil chemical and physical aspects. Regardless of the dose, high C and N stocks were observed in the soil cultivated with guinea grass. Therefore, when properly managed, intensive pasture-based animal production systems become important allies of the environment.

This work aimed to evaluate the effects of three nitrogen (N) doses on the morphogenic and structural characteristics, root mass (RM) and distribution in the soil profile, and penetration soil resistance of Mombasa guineagrass pastures managed with rotational stocking. The experimental design used randomized blocks with three N doses (100, 200, and 300 kg ha-1) and three replicates. The criterion for interrupting the pastures’ regrowth was the height of 80 to 90 cm of the canopy (90–95 % of light interception by the canopy). The animals were removed from the paddocks when the canopy reached 50 % of the pre-grazing height. Forage mass and accumulation, canopy morphogenic and structural characteristics, RM and distribution in the soil profile, and soil resistance to penetration were evaluated. In pastures fertilized with 200 and 300 kg ha-1 of N, the highest leaf appearance (0.090 and 0.081 leaves-1 tiller-1 d-1), elongation rates (2.82 and 2.61 cm tiller-1 d-1) and highest daily forage accumulation (113.8 and 106.6 kg ha-1d-1) were observed. Using 300 kg ha-1 of N promoted greater soil resistance to penetration at 10 cm of depth in the post-grazing (3.3 MPa). No effect of N doses was observed for RM (P>0.05). The pre- and post-grazing height control of animals in the paddocks therefore helped to maintain the pasture structure and avoid the soil compaction process. According to the results, it is concluded that 200 and 300 kg ha-1 of N fertilization is a strategy for intensifying pastures.

The objective was to evaluate the effects of potassium fertilization on the morphogenetic, structural, and productive characteristics of Panicum maximum (cvs. Tanzania, Quênia, Mombaça, Zuri, Massai, and Tamani). The design was in randomized blocks with four doses of potassium (K) 0, 205, 410, and 820 mg dm⁻³, divided into 5 applications. The analyzed variables were leaf appearance rate (LAR), leaf elongation rate (LER), stem elongation rate (SER), leaf senescence rate (LSR), leaf life span (LLS), phyllochron (PC), number of live leaves (NLL), final leaf length (FLL), tiller population density (TPD), and forage mass (FM). LAR increased by 0.00216 leaves tiller on day-1 (p = 0.0354) and LER increased by 0.00980 cm tiller on day-1 for each milligram of K (p = 0.0402). There was an increase in FLL of 0.16, 0.08, and 0.07 days for the cultivars Mombaça, Massai, and Tamani, respectively, for each milligram of K applied (p = 0.0034). The TPD of the cultivar Tamani increased linearly by 0.074 tillers/pot for each milligram of K (p = 0.0226), and the cultivar Massai showed a quadratic behavior. The TPD of the other cultivars was not influenced by the increase in the K doses. For forage mass (FM), the cultivars Mombaça and Quênia increased by 0.16 and 0.39 g DM/pot for each milligram of K added to the soil. The cultivars Tanzânia, Zuri, Massai, and Tamani showed maximum point at doses of 261.35, 279.45, 300.57, and 275.86 mg dm⁻³ K, respectively. Potassium fertilization linearly increased leaf appearance and elongation, with maximum productivity reached at a K dose of 430 mg dm⁻³, except for the cultivars Mombaça and Quênia, which responded up to a K dose of 820 mg dm⁻³.