TITLE:
Microbiological Assessment of Soil Planted with Cover Crops, and Soybean and Maize in Succession
AUTHORS:
Jaqueline Vanelli, Edleusa Pereira Seidel, José Renato Stangarlin, Marcos Cesar Mottin, Pablo Wenderson Ribeiro Coutinho, Nicanor Pilarski Henquemeier, Danielle Acco Cadorin, Jucenei Fernando Frandaloso, André Luiz Alves
KEYWORDS:
Cover Crops, Microbial Biomass, Soil Management, Mycorrhizal Fungi
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.9 No.4,
March
13,
2018
ABSTRACT: This study aimed to assess the population density of
nematodes and mycorrhizal soil fungi, in areas cultivated with oats,
brachiaria, forage and white lupine, as well as in maize and soybean crops in
succession, in order to generate a microbiological indicator of soil quality.
In order to assess nematode and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) population
densities, the experiment was performed in two stages: the first assessment was
performed in the area where different cover crops were planted, in five seasons
(0, 60, 90, 120, 150 days after sowing—DAS). In the second stage, soybean and
maize crops in succession were assessed. According to the results, free-living
nematodes and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi population densities were not
affected by the cover crop species used and, therefore, these can be grown
prior to soybean and corn crops, without impact to free-living nematodes and
AMF. The largest population of saprophyte nematodes and AMF occurred at 90
days. The cultivation of soybean and corn did not influence the number of free-living nematodes, but
influenced the number of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. The highest numbers of
mycorrhizal fungi Gigaspora margarita and Glomus macrocarpum were found in
maize.