Man-made soil drainage alters the vegetation structure and woody species distribution in campo de murundus

Campos de murundus work as recharge zones and are important for the maintenance of water resources in Brazilian Cerrado. However, with the expansion of the agricultural frontier, this ecosystem may disappear or suffer high anthropogenic disturbances. The aim of the study was to evaluate the structure and distribution of woody species, after the implantation of artificial drainage channels in campo de murundus, in plots near and distant of the drains in the soil. We sampled woody individuals with ≥ 3 cm diameter at the base, and established 20 permanent plots of 20×50 m, 10 of which were between 0-20 m of the drains (edge) and 10 between 150-200 m distant from the drains (interior), totaling two hectares of survey. We recorded 47 species with total density of 230.5 ind.ha-1 and total basal area of 1.331 m2 ha-1. The diversity index of species was H’ = 3.18. We recorded higher density and basal area in the edge, and differential distribution and occupation of woody species in the microrelief of the murundus. This provides us strong evidence that the drains have altered the vegetation structure, especially in the edge of the remnant campos de murundus turning the vegetation woodier and denser.

Man-made soil drainage alters the vegetation structure and woody species distribution in campo de murundus

Campos de murundus work as recharge zones and are important for the maintenance of water resources in Brazilian Cerrado. However, with the expansion of the agricultural frontier, this ecosystem may disappear or suffer high anthropogenic disturbances. The aim of the study was to evaluate the structure and distribution of woody species, after the implantation of artificial drainage channels in campo de murundus, in plots near and distant of the drains in the soil. We sampled woody individuals with ≥ 3 cm diameter at the base, and established 20 permanent plots of 20×50 m, 10 of which were between 0-20 m of the drains (edge) and 10 between 150-200 m distant from the drains (interior), totaling two hectares of survey. We recorded 47 species with total density of 230.5 ind.ha-1 and total basal area of 1.331 m2 ha-1. The diversity index of species was H = 3.18. We recorded higher density and basal area in the edge, and differential distribution and occupation of woody species in the microrelief of the murundus. This provides us strong evidence that the drains have altered the vegetation structure, especially in the edge of the remnant campos de murundus turning the vegetation woodier and denser.(AU)

Effects of open drainage ditch design on bacterial and fungal communities of cold waterlogged paddy soils

A field experiment established in 1980 was conducted to evaluate the effects of open drainage ditch applied for water removal on bacterial and fungal communities of cold waterlogged paddy soils in 2011. In this experiment, traditional plate counting and temperature gradient gel electrophoresis were employed to characterize the abundance and diversity of soil bacterial and fungal communities. Four different distances from the open drainage ditch, 5, 15, 25 and 75 m with different degrees of drainage were designed for this study. Maximum populations of culturable aerobic bacteria and fungi were at 15-m distance while minimum populations were at 75-m distance. Significant differences (p < 0.05) in fungal populations were observed at all distances from open drainage ditch. The highest diversity of the bacterial community was found at a distance of 25 m, while that of the fungal community was observed at a distance of 5 m. Sequencing of excised TGGE bands indicated that the dominant bacteria at 75-m distance belonged to anaerobic or microaerobic bacteria. Relationships between microbial characteristics and soil physicochemical properties indicated that soil pH and available nitrogen contents were key factors controlling the abundance of culturable aerobic bacteria and fungi, while soil water capacity also affected the diversity of fungal community. These findings can provide the references for better design and advanced management of the drainage ditches in cold waterlogged paddy soils.(AU)

Períodos de drenagem do solo durante o perfilhamento e características agronômicas de cultivares de arroz irrigado no sistema pré-germinado / Soil drainage periods during tillering and agronomic traits of rice cultivars grown with pre-germinated seeds

A retirada da água no perfilhamento é uma prática comumente efetuada pelos produtores de arroz irrigado no Estado de Santa Catarina, visando a estimular o enraizamento, prevenir o acamamento e facilitar a colheita. Contudo, ela pode estressar a cultura, reduzindo o número de perfilhos, a produção de panículas por área e a produtividade. Este trabalho foi conduzido objetivando avaliar os efeitos de períodos de drenagem do solo no perfilhamento sobre características agronômicas de duas cultivares de arroz de ciclos contrastantes. O experimento foi implantado no município de Pouso Redondo, localizado no Alto Vale do Itajaí, SC, durante os anos agrícolas de 2004/2005 e 2005/2006. Testaram-se quatro períodos de drenagem do solo no afilhamento: T1 = sem drenagem; T2 = drenagem aos 45 dias após a semeadura (DAS) e retorno da irrigação 7 dias após; T3 = drenagem aos 45 DAS e retorno 14 dias após; e T4 = drenagem aos 45 DAS e retorno 20 dias após. Em cada sistema de manejo da irrigação, foram testadas as cultivares "EPAGRI 106" (precoce) e "EPAGRI 109" (tardia). O rendimento de grãos variou entre 7.833 e 9.239kg ha-1 (2004/2005) e 3.984 e 9.040kg ha-1 (2005/2006). O sistema de manejo da irrigação no perfilhamento não interferiu sobre o rendimento de grãos e seus componentes, nem sobre a renda base e o rendimento de grãos inteiros. A elevada precipitação ocorrida durante o período de drenagem evitou a ocorrência de deficiência hídrica, mitigando o efeito do sistema de manejo da irrigação sobre o rendimento de grãos. As diferenças de ciclo entre as cutivares não afetaram a resposta das variáveis analisadas ao sistema de manejo da irrigação. Períodos de drenagem de até 20 dias no perfilhamento não reduzem a produtividade do arroz irrigado cultivado no sistema pré-germinado.(AU)

The water withdraw is a management practice frequently used by rice growers in the State of Santa Catarina, Brazil. The water removal aims at enhancing root development, to prevent lodging and to facilitate harvesting. On the other hand, water removal may stress the crop, reducing the number of tillers, decreasing the number of panicles per area and limiting grain yield. This experiment was performed to evaluate the effects of different periods of soil drainage at tillering on the agronomic traits of rice cultivars with contrasting cycles. The experiment was set in Pouso Redondo, SC, during the growing seasons of 2004/2005 and 2005/2006. Four periods of water drainage were tested: no drainage, soil drainage at tillering and re-flooding at 7, 14 and 21 days after soil drainage. Two cultivars were evaluated for each irrigation system: Epagri 106 (short duration) and Epagri 109 (late duration). Grain yield ranged from 7.833 to 9.239kg ha-1 (2004/2005) and from 3.984 to 9.040kg ha-1 (2005/2006). The water management system at tillering did not affect grain yield, yield components and rice milling yield. High pluvial precipitation during the drainage periods prevented drought, mitigating the effects of water management system on rice grain yield. The cultivar differences in growth cycle did not impact their response to the water management system. Soil drainage periods up to 20 days at tillering do not reduce the pre-germinated paddy rice productivity.(AU)