Comparison between mineral and organic fertilization on forage corn culture: impact on yield, total carbon and nutrients NPK of soil

Abstract

Mineral fertilization versus organic substrate (SO) is compared on forage corn yield, total carbon (Ct) and NPK contents. The morphology of the cultural profile resulting from tillage with moldboard x rotovator, in the distribution of organic residues (RO) and organic substrate (SO), is characterized by soil horizon Ap2 presenting morphological units of high accumulation of RO mixed with soil (TERO) in treatment A (TA), and accumulation of SO plus soil (TESO) in treatment B (TB). The relation between soil units (TE) and TERO units is 70:30 in the TA and 50:50 between TE and TESO in the TB. The nutritional comfort of the forage culture, confirmed by the analyses of the soil samples, was very high and constant in TA, but higher and increasing in TB. Green biomass yield of forage corn was weak in the 1st year, explained by the severe water deficit, and high in the 2nd year. The differences between TB and TA in yield were 4.7t/ha and 9.8t/ha. In the period of 462 days, there was a decrease in Ct of -1.6g/kg in TA and an increase of +4.7g/kg in TB, demonstrating the high resilience of SO-MUSAMI, which enhances production and soil sustainability.