AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT OF CORN THROUGH ORGANIC AND TRADITIONAL NO-TILLAGE CULTIVATION SYSTEMS

Abstract

The purpose of this work was to evaluate the agricultural performance of the corn in the organic and traditional systems of no-tillage cultivation during three consecutive agricultural years. The treatments evaluated were: PDT1 (traditional no-tillage cultivation without fertilization); PDT2 (traditional no-tillage cultivation + mineral fertilization + herbicide); PDT3 (traditional no-tillage cultivation + fertilization with organic compounds + herbicide); PDO1 (no-tillage cultivation + fertilization with organic compounds + mowing); PDO2 (no-tillage cultivation + fertilization with organic compounds + intercropping with jack-bean at the density of 3 plants per linear meter + mowing); PDO3 (no-tillage cultivation + fertilization with organic compounds + intercropping with jack-bean at the density of 6 plants per linear meter + mowing);and PDO4 (no-tillage cultivation + fertilization with organic compounds + intercropping with Jack-bean left in the area, cycle of 190 days, at the density of 6 plants per linear meter + mowing). It was concluded that the intercropping of the jack-bean with the corn at the highest rate provided increment in the grains productivity; this intercropping was efficient to reduce the dry mass of the weed: the prolongation of the legume cycle provided increase of the dry matter in the system and probably a higher synchrony between the availability of N and the demand from the plants of black oat.