Tillage practices and liming: comparative study of soil properties and forage corn production

Abstract

Tillage conservation practices (CA), traditional agriculture (TA), and liming influence soil properties and crop yield. However, it is essential to demonstrate which tillage and liming practices improve soil properties and forage corn yield. This study compared soil properties and forage corn production in two tillage systems with the addition of dolomite and lime, which formed four treatments. The tillage in the first three days surpassed the TA soil CO2 emission, with 64.8% more CO2 than in the CA soil, and the TA hydraulic conductivity and bulk density were more suitable than those in the CA soil. The CA soil had 233 earthworms m−2 more than in TA. The TA green forage corn yielded 6.45 t ha−1 more than in CA, with a higher P, Ca, and Mg foliar content than in CA, but in the CA, the foliar N and K were higher than in TA. The liming increased soil cations (except K), highlighting the lime on dolomite with—52% Al and + 4.85 t ha−1 of forage corn compared to the control. Soil CO2 emission was far lower in CA than in TA, with a slightly lower forage yield, and other soil properties were improved, meaning lower land preparation costs and time savings than in TA. Lime improved acidic soil faster than dolomite, generating higher forage yields.