Soil temperature and soil moisture depending on the use of mulch in maize cultivation

Abstract

The objective was to evaluate the influence of different amounts of mulch on the temperature and moisture of soil cultivated with maize, in Tangará da Serra, MT. The experiment was carried out in 2016, in the experimental area of the State University of Mato Grosso (UNEMAT). Soil temperature response was analyzed in a tropical climate with a dry season in winter (Aw according to Köppen), in a dystropheric Red Latosol in the southwestern region of the state of Mato Grosso. Three treatments with two replications were evaluated, being: without vegetation cover; cover with 4 t ha-1 of dry mass of brachiaria and cover with 8 t ha-1 of dry mass of brachiaria. The soil temperature was monitored by type K thermocouple sensors, installed at depths of 5-10 and 20-25 cm, and for soil moisture, time domain reflectometry probes (TDR), installed at 30 cm depth, were used. The soil temperature was reduced with the use of brachiaria straw, mainly in the initial stage of plant development. The greatest variations in temperature occurred at a depth of 5-10 cm. The soil covered with 8 t ha-1 reduced the maximum soil temperature by up to 2.9°C, in addition, the soil cover provided a reduction in the soil thermal amplitude of 5.3 and 5.8°C, with 4 and 8 t ha-1, respectively. The soil moisture was higher in the cultivation of maize with coverage of 8 t ha-1 of brachiaria.