An improvement in soil chemical properties and crop development with silicate application has been confirmed in several plant species. The effects of silicate application on soil chemical properties and wheat growth were investigated in the present study. The experiment was carried out in 8-L plastic pots in a greenhouse. Treatments were arranged in a randomized block design in a 3 × 5 factorial: three soils [Rhodic Acrudox (Ox1), Rhodic Hapludox (Ox2) and Arenic Hapludult (Ult)] and five silicate rates (0, 1, 2, 4 and 6 Mg ha–1 of calcium/magnesium silicate), with four replications. The plant length, number of spikes per pot, shoot dry matter and grain yield, were measured after 115 days of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) growth. Changes in the soil chemical properties (pH, H+ + Al3+, Al3+, P, K, Ca, Mg, Si, Cu, Zn, Fe and Mn) were analyzed after wheat harvest. Application of calcium/magnesium silicate reduces the potential acidity (H+ + Al3+) and Al3+ phytotoxic; and increases the soil pH, available Ca, Mg and Si, cation exchange capacity (CEC) and soil base saturation. Silicate application did not affect the available P, exchangeable K and availability of micronutrients (Cu, Zn, Fe and Mn) in the three soils. The application of calcium/magnesium silicate in an acid clayey Rhodic Hapludox improves the development and yield of wheat; however, the silicate application in soil with pH higher to 5.3 and high Si availability does not affect the agronomic characteristics and grain yield of wheat. An improvement in soil chemical properties and crop development with silicate application has been confirmed in several plant species. The effects of silicate application on soil chemical properties and wheat growth were investigated in the present study. The experiment was carried out in 8-L plastic pots in a greenhouse. Treatments were arranged in a randomized block design in a 3 × 5 factorial: three soils [Rhodic Acrudox (Ox1), Rhodic Hapludox (Ox2) and Arenic Hapludult (Ult)] and five silicate rates (0, 1, 2, 4 and 6 Mg ha–1 of calcium/magnesium silicate), with four replications. The plant length, number of spikes per pot, shoot dry matter and grain yield, were measured after 115 days of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) growth. Changes in the soil chemical properties (pH, H+ + Al3+, Al3+, P, K, Ca, Mg, Si, Cu, Zn, Fe and Mn) were analyzed after wheat harvest. Application of calcium/magnesium silicate reduces the potential acidity (H+ + Al3+) and Al3+ phytotoxic; and increases the soil pH, available Ca, Mg and Si, cation exchange capacity (CEC) and soil base saturation. Silicate application did not affect the available P, exchangeable K and availability of micronutrients (Cu, Zn, Fe and Mn) in the three soils. The application of calcium/magnesium silicate in an acid clayey Rhodic Hapludox improves the development and yield of wheat; however, the silicate application in soil with pH higher to 5.3 and high Si availability does not affect the agronomic characteristics and grain yield of wheat.
In conservation management systems, such as no-till (NT), it is important to analyze the pattern of changes in soil quality as a function of the time since adoption of the system. This study evaluated the physical fractions of organic matter and soil aggregation in management systems in areas cultivated with different times since implementation of NT: 6, 14, and 22 successive years of soybean and maize/wheat crops (NT6, NT14, and NT22, respectively); 12 years of no-till with successive years of soybean and maize/wheat crops, and the last 4 years with integration of maize and ruzi grass (Brachiaria ruziziensis) - (NT+B); pasture; and forest. Physical fractionation of organic matter determined the total carbon (TC), particulate organic matter (POM), and mineral organic matter (MOM) by calculating the carbon management index (CMI) and variables related to soil structural stability. Forest and pasture areas showed the highest contents of TC, POM, and MOM, as well as higher stocks of POM and MOM. Among the cultivated areas, higher TC and particulate fractions of organic matter and the best CMI values were observed in the area of NT22. There were changes in aggregation indices, depending on the time since implementation of NT. Areas of NT22, pasture, and forest showed the greatest evolution in C-CO2, indicating increased biological activity, with positive effects on soil structural stability.
Wheat is a plant that accumulates silicon (Si). The application of silicon to the soil may influence the absorption of nutrients by the plant and, therefore, its nutritional balance. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of calcium and magnesium silicate (CaSiO3/MgSiO3) on the ability of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) to utilize silicon and absorb nutrients from soils collected in the state of Paraná, Brazil. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse using 8-L plastic pots and three types of soil. Treatments were arranged in randomized blocks (3 × 5 factorial design): three soils [Rhodic Acrudox (Ox1), Rhodic Hapludox (Ox2), and Arenic Hapludult (Ult)], five silicate rates (0, 1, 2, 4, and 6 t ha–1 of calcium/magnesium silicate), and four replications were performed. The effects of calcium and magnesium silicate on the concentrations of Si, N, P, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, S, Cu2+, Zn2+, Fe2+, and Mn2+ within leaves were evaluated. Silicon concentrations in wheat leaves and stems increased with increasing rates of calcium and magnesium silicate applied to the soil. Wheat shoots accumulated averages of 28.2% (Ox1), 60.61% (Ult), and 74.14% (Ox2) of the Si from the silicate applied to the soil. Silicate fertilization increased the amount of Ca+2 and Mg+2 within leaves and reduced the amount of Zn2+ and Mn2+ within leaves. Calcium and magnesium silicate prevented excessive amounts of Mn2+ from being absorbed by wheat, improving the balance in the absorption of this nutrient.
The food industry is very interested in high-yield ingredients to enrich and develop new products that have an affordable value for the population. This work aimed to determine the correlations and contrasts between grain physical and agronomic traits of conventional and transgenic corn hybrids cultivated in the first crop season. The experiments were installed in the 2017/18, 2018/19, and 2019/20 crop seasons in Guarapuava - PR. The experimental design was a randomized block design with eight hybrids (SUPREMO VIP, SUPREMO, P30F53VYH, P30F53, P3456H, P3456, DKB290PRO3, and DKB290) and three replications. The agronomic traits, such as the percentage of rot grains, 1000-grain mass, and grain yield, also the physical traits of grains for industrial purposes, such as grits, germ, vitreousness, flotation, and hectoliter weight, were evaluated. There is a positive correlation between grits and flotation. The choice of hybrids for the food industry based on vitreousness positively favors flotation. The grits showed a positive correlation with hectoliter weight and a negative correlation with the incidence of rot grains. Vitreousness was influenced by the choice of conventional or transgenic hybrid and crop season. The environments of the crop seasons influence the grain yield, 1000-grain mass, and rot grain incidence of conventional and transgenic corn hybrids.
As culturas de inverno apresentam um alto potencial para a produção de forragens, as quais respondem a diferentes estratégias de cortes, surgindo a necessidade de desenvolvimento de pesquisas para determinar o melhor o número de cortes aliados a uma boa produção. O sistema de consórcios de gramíneas ainda é pouco estudado. Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar as características produtivas e bromatológicas de forrageiras hibernais submetidas a seis cortes sucessivos. Foram utilizados diferentes forrageias hibernais cultivadas em consórcio ou solteira, conforme designação dos tratamentos: TamPic: 90% de aveia branca GMX Tambo + 10% de aveia preta GMX Picasso; InvPicGau: 90% de aveia branca GMX Invernia + 5% de aveia preta GMX Picasso + 5% de aveia branca UPF Gaudéria; TamGau: 30% de aveia branca GMX Tambo + 70% de aveia branca UPF Gaudéria e Pic: 100% de aveia preta GMX Picasso. No quinto corte, o consórcio de aveias permitiu maior participação de folhas e menor participação de colmos na composição morfológica da planta em relação à aveia preta cultivada solteira (Pic). Os teores de fibra em detergente neutro e de fibra em detergente ácido foram menores para o cultivo das aveias em consórcio, que variaram de (48,09% a 51,40% e 32,29% a 34,39% respectivamente) frente ao cultivo solteiro (54,84% e 38,32% respectivamente). A degradação ruminal das forragens consorciadas foi superior ao cultivo solteiro. Em relação aos cortes, o sexto corte apresentou os piores resultados para os teores de fibra e degradação ruminal. Recomenda-se o consórcio das aveias avaliadas, visto que apresentaram características morfológicas e químicas satisfatórias, e até o quinto corte melhor composição química e maior degradação ruminal da forragem, o que mostra potencial do ponto de vista nutricional.