Behavior and development of green manures under shading conditions in an Agroforestry System

Abstract

The use of green manure is an economically viable alternative as it reduces the cost of production
while increasing and maintaining soil life and nutrient cycling efficiency. In this context, an
experiment was installed at the State University of Maranhão, in the municipality of. In the middle
of an 8 - year - old Agroforestry System composed of Acaí and Cupuaçu. The experimental
design was a randomized block design, with five treatments, one control, four blocks and
four replications. The objective was to evaluate the behavior and development of four fertilizer
plants in the soil cover in an agroforestry system. It was observed that the use of green fertilizers,
even in shading conditions as in an FAS, can be indicated for agro-ecological agriculture,
since it contributes to the soil cover and suppression of spontaneous vegetation, reducing the
costs with weeds generating more Autonomy for the peasant farmer.