Global Maize Project in Brazil: Itiquira, Mato Grosso
IPNI-2009-BRA-GM18
13 Jan 2010
2009 Annual Interpretive Summary
Cropping system intensification will be necessary to meet the future demands for corn. The established system of Ecological Intensification (EI) seeks cereal production systems that satisfy these future demands while developing cultivation practices with minimum interference to the surrounding environment. A Global Maize Project was established to identify gaps in yield between current technology and improved technology aimed at achieving EI.
This experiment was initiated in November 2009 at Itiquira, Mato Grosso. This is an Oxisol site that has been under cultivation for 20 years. The experiment has a split-plot design with the main plots involving three types of cultivation systems and the sub plots being three levels of N input plus a control. The levels of cultivation are: (1) farmers’ practice (FP) of soybean followed by corn, (2) FP + a forage crop (Brachiaria decumbens)in the winter, and (3) EI involving a 3-year complete crop rotation cycle of soybean, corn (second crop), forage, soybean, crotalaria, regular corn, and forage. The EI treatment will occur three times, alternating the initiation point of the crop rotation to permit the production of corn every summer. The levels of N input are 30, 60 and 90 kg N/ha plus a control with no N added. The results for the first year of cultivation will be available by mid 2010. This is a long-term project intended to influence current opinions on how to best manage cereal production in the region. IPNI-18