Evaluation of no-tillage of common bean in a native field in the high Jequitinhonha Valley, Minas Gerais State, Brazil

Abstract

High Jequitinhonha Valley is a region of Minas Gerais State, Brazil, where agriculture is underdeveloped and the agricultural systems have low efficiency and yield rates. As a result, environmental degradation rates are high, and it is thus necessary to adjust the soil management techniques. This study aimed to evaluate the no-tillage of common bean with the direct desiccation of a sandy soil native field of High Jequitinhonha Valley, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The study followed a randomized block design, with two replicates (treatments: conventional tillage and no-tillage) in five blocks. The following outcomes were evaluated: the chemical properties of a Quartzarenic Neosol (Entisol), the nutritional status and yield of common bean farmed under conventional tillage and no-tillage via the direct application of desiccant to the natural vegetation during three crop cycles. The adoption no-tillage in the native field improved the chemical attributes of the sandy soil, with altered the nutritional status and increased the yield of the common bean after three crop cycles under the conditions of High Jequitinhonha Valley, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The soil contents of organic carbon, P, Ca, Mg, and CEC in the 0-0.1 m soil layer were higher under no-tillage than conventional tillage. The leaf contents of N, Mg, S, and Zn increased whereas the leaf contents of P, K, Fe, and Mn decreased throughout the crop cycles. Deficiencies of P, Fe, and Mn were observed in the common bean leaves during the last crop cycle under no-tillage.