IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i3p1886-d743648.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

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

Author

Listed:
  • 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)

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Daniel Oscar Soares & Karla Gabrielle Pinto & Prasanta Chitta Bhowmik & Sônia Maria Albertino, 2022. "Chemical Properties of Soil and Cassava Yield as a Function of Weed Management by Cover Crops in the Amazon Ecosystem," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-13, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:3:p:1886-:d:743648
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/3/1886/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/3/1886/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Madembo, Connie & Mhlanga, Blessing & Thierfelder, Christian, 2020. "Productivity or stability? Exploring maize-legume intercropping strategies for smallholder Conservation Agriculture farmers in Zimbabwe," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Qinqin Xu & Kangning Xiong & Yongkuan Chi & Shuzhen Song, 2021. "Effects of Crop and Grass Intercropping on the Soil Environment in the Karst Area," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-14, May.
    2. Sara Balestri, 2024. "Revitalising smallholder agriculture: the impact of technical training in rural Lebanon," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 41(2), pages 361-393, July.
    3. Xin, Wang & Yanping, Song & Tan, Li, 2021. "Small farmer's planting confidence and willingness to pay for leguminous green fertilizer: environmental attributes perspective," International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, vol. 25(1), August.
    4. Kinyua, M.W. & Kihara, J. & Bekunda, M. & Bolo, P. & Mairura, F.S. & Fischer, G. & Mucheru-Muna, M.W., 2023. "Agronomic and economic performance of legume-legume and cereal-legume intercropping systems in Northern Tanzania," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 205(C).
    5. Raymond Mugandani & Liboster Mwadzingeni & Paramu Mafongoya, 2021. "Contribution of Conservation Agriculture to Soil Security," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-11, September.
    6. Herdis Herdiansyah & Ernoiz Antriyandarti & Amrina Rosyada & Nor Isnaeni Dwi Arista & Tri Edhi Budhi Soesilo & Ninin Ernawati, 2023. "Evaluation of Conventional and Mechanization Methods towards Precision Agriculture in Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-21, June.
    7. Tarirai Muoni & Blessing Mhlanga & Ingrid Öborn & Christian Thierfelder, 2024. "Management of maize-legume conservation agriculture systems rather than varietal choice fosters human nutrition in Malawi," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 16(5), pages 1067-1080, October.
    8. Mohamed Lazali & Simon Boudsocq & Elisa Taschen & Mohamed Farissi & Wissem Hamdi & Parthenopi Ralli & Hervé Sentenac, 2021. "CROSYMED Project: Enhancing Nutrient Use Efficiency through Legumes in Agroecosystems of the Mediterranean Basin," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-10, April.
    9. Wang, Maojian & Shi, Wei & Kamran, Muhammad & Chang, Shenghua & Jia, Qianmin & Hou, Fujiang, 2024. "Effects of intercropping and regulated deficit irrigation on the yield, water and land resource utilization, and economic benefits of forage maize in arid region of Northwest China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 298(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:3:p:1886-:d:743648. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.