Abstract
Brazilian agriculture faces the challenge of adopting sustainable practices that reduce costs and mitigate environmental impacts. The use of cover crops stands out as an efficient alternative to improve soil conditions and increase the productivity of subsequent crops. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different cover crops on the productivity and phytotechnical characteristics of corn. The experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design, with four replicates, considering the following treatments: sorghum (Sorghum sp.), brachiaria (Brachiaria ruziziensis), crotalaria (Crotalaria juncea), fallow and no cover. The production of green mass of the covers, plant height, stem diameter, number of grains per ear, 1000-grain weight and productivity were evaluated. Sorghum showed the highest biomass production (96,498.5 kg ha⁻¹), while fallow was the least efficient. Cover crops provided better corn performance in height, number of leaves, stalk diameter, productivity and thousand-grain weight, compared to areas without cover or fallow. Sunn hemp stood out for biological nitrogen fixation, while brachiaria and sorghum reduced weed infestation and improved water retention. In fallow or uncovered areas, corn had a stalk diameter up to 6.42 mm smaller and productivity reduced by up to 3,827.47 kg ha⁻¹, compared to the best treatments. The results demonstrate the benefits of cover crops, promoting sustainable management and increasing corn productivity and resilience, especially in regions with edaphoclimatic challenges.
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Claims 11
Claim · model-written summary
Sorghum cover crop showed the highest biomass production, 96,498.5 kg ha-1.
SorghumOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Sorghum showed the highest biomass production (96,498.5 kg ha⁻¹)”
Claim · model-written summary
Fallow was the least efficient in biomass production among the cover treatments.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“fallow was the least efficient”
Claim · model-written summary
Cover crops gave better corn height, number of leaves and stalk diameter than areas without cover or fallow.
- Taxon
- corn
Zea mays subsp. mayse0 - Treatment
- Cover cropse0
- Outcome
- height, number of leaves, stalk diametere0
- Direction
- bettere0
- Comparator
- areas without cover or fallowe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Cover crops provided better corn performance in height, number of leaves, stalk diameter, productivity and thousand-grain weight, compared to areas without cover or fallow”
Claim · model-written summary
Cover crops gave better corn productivity and thousand-grain weight than areas without cover or fallow.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse0
- Treatment
- Cover cropse0
- Outcome
- productivity and thousand-grain weighte0
- Direction
- bettere0
- Comparator
- areas without cover or fallowe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Cover crops provided better corn performance in height, number of leaves, stalk diameter, productivity and thousand-grain weight, compared to areas without cover or fallow”
Claim · model-written summary
Sunn hemp stood out for biological nitrogen fixation.
- Taxon
- Sunn hemp
Crotalaria junceae0 - Outcome
- biological nitrogen fixatione0
- Direction
- stood oute0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Sunn hemp stood out for biological nitrogen fixation”
Claim · model-written summary
Brachiaria reduced weed infestation.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- brachiariae0
- Interactor
- weede0weed
- Outcome
- weed infestatione0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“brachiaria and sorghum reduced weed infestation and improved water retention”
t0“corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Sorghum reduced weed infestation.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- sorghume0
- Interactor
- weede0weed
- Outcome
- weed infestatione0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“brachiaria and sorghum reduced weed infestation and improved water retention”
t0“corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Brachiaria improved water retention.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- brachiariae0
- Outcome
- water retentione0
- Direction
- improvede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“brachiaria and sorghum reduced weed infestation and improved water retention”
t0“corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Sorghum improved water retention.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- sorghume0
- Outcome
- water retentione0
- Direction
- improvede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“brachiaria and sorghum reduced weed infestation and improved water retention”
t0“corn”
Claim · model-written summary
In fallow or uncovered areas corn stalk diameter was up to 6.42 mm smaller than in the best treatments.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse0
- Treatment
- fallow or uncovered arease0
- Outcome
- stalk diametere0
- Direction
- smallere0
- Value
- up to 6.42 mme0
- Comparator
- the best treatmentse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In fallow or uncovered areas, corn had a stalk diameter up to 6.42 mm smaller and productivity reduced by up to 3,827.47 kg ha⁻¹, compared to the best treatments”
Claim · model-written summary
In fallow or uncovered areas corn productivity was reduced by up to 3,827.47 kg ha-1 compared with the best treatments.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse0
- Treatment
- fallow or uncovered arease0
- Outcome
- productivitye0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- up to 3,827.47 kg ha⁻¹e0
- Comparator
- the best treatmentse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In fallow or uncovered areas, corn had a stalk diameter up to 6.42 mm smaller and productivity reduced by up to 3,827.47 kg ha⁻¹, compared to the best treatments”
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