Otimização de atributos físicos do solo e melhoria da produtividade com biomassa de leguminosas e cátions polivalentes: uma abordagem para agrossistemas sustentáveis

Abstract

In the humid tropics, land degradation results from the rapid decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM), combined with highly weathered soils and high rainfall. This study evaluated the impacts of legume biomass deposition, with and without application of calcium, silicon and urea, on physical indicators of soil quality and maize productivity. The experimental design adopted was randomized blocks (DBC) with 8 treatments and 4 replications, with the following treatments: Urea (U); Legumes (L); Legumes + Urea (L+U); Calcium + Legumes (Ca+L); Silicon + Legumes (Si+L); Calcium + Legumes + Urea (Ca+L+U); Silicon + Legumes + Urea (Si+L+U); Calcium + Silicon + Legumes + Urea (Ca+Si+L+U). The density, porosity, soil resistance to penetration and maize productivity were evaluated. The results highlighted that the combination of polyvalent cations with legume biomass significantly increased soil macroporosity, exceeding the critical value of 10%. Silicon treatments reduced penetration resistance in the 0-20 cm layer. Corn productivity was higher in combined treatments, especially with Ca+Si+L+U, highlighting the importance of polyvalent cations in improving soil structure and increasing agricultural production. Our results suggest that combining these polyvalent cations with high-quality legumes can improve soil physical quality and increase plant productivity, especially in humid tropical regions