Straw management effects on sugarcane growth, nutrient cycling and water use in the Brazilian semiarid region.

• Autor(a) principal: SOUZA, C. A. A. de
• Data de Publicação: 2020
• Outros Autores: SILVA, T. G. F. da, SOUZA, L. S. B. de, MOURA, M. S. B. de, SILVA, P. P., MARIN, F. R.
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da EMBRAPA (Repository Open Access to Scientific Information from EMBRAPA - Alice)
• Texto Completo: http://www.alice.cnptia.embrapa.br/alice/handle/doc/1130056; http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1678-4499.20200227
• topic: Semiárido; Manta de lixo; Palha no crescimento; Cana de Açúcar; Evapotranspiração; Decomposição; Solo; Adubação; Sugarcane; Evapotranspiration

It was evaluated how straw management modifies the development, growth, nutrient cycling and crop water productivity of sugarcane in the semiarid region of Brazil. The experiment was carried out using two plots with 5 ha each, being one without straw on the soil surface and one with 27.2 Mg·ha−1 covering the soil. Sugarcane growth and development and straw decomposition coefficient were evaluated, whereas the industrial yield, juice quality, dry matter partitioning, and crop water productivity were determined at harvesting. The straw decomposition coefficient was 0.0049 Mg·ha−1·day−1, and the remaining dry mass was equal to 24%. The straw affected the sugarcane growth and development until the first 100 days. The individual internode volume can be adopted as an indicator of the effect of straw on sugarcane growth because the internode volumes up to the sixth position in the with-straw treatment crop were lower than in the no-straw treatment, which was not observed in other variables of the stalks. Keeping straw on the soil surface reduced the crop lodging. Yield and juice quality were not affected, but crop water productivity was increased by keeping sugarcane straw in the field.