day 3 conservation agriculture field workshop project breadbasket calegari, iapar, july 12, 2011
DESCRIPTION
Lots of great background info on conservation agriculture including use of cover crops and carbon sequestration rates. Delivered to Project Breadbasket conservation agriculture field workshop in Parana State Brazil by Ademir Calegari, PhD, IAPAR, on July 12, 2011 in Pato Branco.TRANSCRIPT
Brazil: 8.513 Km2
Brazil Savanna area: 210 Million hectares of Potential Agriculture
Brasilia(DF)
Amazonas
Roraima
NorthNortheastCenter-WestSoutheastSouth
TERRIBLE EROSION IN PARANA STATE IN 1970s and 1980s
GOODBYE SOIL, GOODBYE LIVELIHOODS
Erosion ?
Includes loss of water, and nutrients (N, P, K, organic carbon)
Fonte: EMATER, PR, 2000
Potassium
Permanent soil cover
Control of weeds
(Attention to crop rotation)
The No-tillage System
Harvest
Rolling down cover
crop
Cover crop
Peanuts pea
potatoes rice
WaterWater
OxigenOxigen
Active aggregation zone
Active decomposition zone
0 - 5 cm
Crop residues effect (above ground)
Crop residues effect (above ground)
New structure regrowNew structure regrow
Let the roots and soil flora and
fauna do the work
Soil temperature stuble
30 C30 CBare soil
temperature
55 C55 C
Mixing Cover crops SMixing Cover crops Sppeeciesciesoatoat + + radishradishoatoat + + radishradish ++ lupinlupinoatoat + + vetch (hairy, common)vetch (hairy, common)mimilletllet + + radishradishfield peafield pea + + oat (rye, trticale)oat (rye, trticale)clover + ryegrass + lotusclover + ryegrass + lotusetc,...etc,...
Black oat + vetch
Mixing cover crops increases diversity of soil nutrients and fodder
Hairy Vetch –
Equivalent to 120 kg N ha
Sorghum and cowpea - Swaziland
Maize and groundnut -
Kenya
Intercropping gives two chances for a harvest
Cowpea and pineapple - Mozambique
Crotalaria juncea intercropped with sorghum or maize.
It is fast growing, suppresses weeds, reduces nematode populations and improves soil properties.
Radish (pivotant root)Medium C/ N ratio (20-25)Strong rootsSoil decompactionHigh recycling: N, P, SAluminium complexing
O.Muzilli/ Fertilidade SPD/ pp
Corn intercropped with legume cover crop
Rice + Calopogonium mucunoides
Cover crop management using the knife roller
No-tillage for animal traction
No-Till System-
53 t/ha of Cassava Roots
Conservation agriculture brings higher levels of organic matter, retains moisture better
Conventional systems lead to low organic matter & loss of water...
Conventional
No-till
What about the weeds?
Conventional tillageIrrigated 3-4 times/week
Weeding 8-10 timesLabour input 45 days/haYield 23 tons of bulbs
Conservation AgricultureIrrigated only once a week
Weeding not necessaryLabour input 7 days/ha Yield 39 tons of bulbs
Austrian Cooperation Project in Mozambique – Sofala Province
CARBON SEQUESTRATION (0,00-0,20m)
after 19 years – Pato Branco, PR.
+ 1,24 t/ha/year+ 1,24 t/ha/year
No-Till
0.00
+ 0.25
+ 0.50
+ 0.75
+ 1.00SO
C (
Mg
ha-1
yea
r-1)
MUCUNA nodules fix nitrogen
0
500
1.000
1.500
2.000
2.500
Cotton Yield traditional tradicional
Sixto Ayala, Calle Poí- Paraguay PParaguayParaguayYaguarón.
Source: GTZ, Min. Agric., Peñalva, Paraguay 2000.
Traditional
No-till With rotation
kg/ha
900
2.210
ImplicationsImplications
• Less labour and farm power• up to 60% fuel savings• up to 50% savings in tractors• up to 40% savings in tractor size• up to 3 times longer tractorlife• reduction in machinery capital
• Less labour and farm power• up to 60% fuel savings• up to 50% savings in tractors• up to 40% savings in tractor size• up to 3 times longer tractorlife• reduction in machinery capital
The consequent application of these concepts has following implications:The consequent application of these concepts has following implications:
Source: FAO
Sesbania sp. indigenous legume – previously considered a weed by locals - is a great cover crop for rice in Estaquinha (Búzi) , Mozambique
Nature says
Thanks!