Nitrogen fertilization on common bean in succession to maize and Urochloa ruziziensis single cropping and intercropping

Abstract

The expansion of the no-tillage system, in Brazil, has increasingly diversified the ways in which the production methods are established and managed. This study aimed at evaluating the influence of preceding crops such as mayze and Urochloa ruziziensis, as well as their intercropping, in the presence and absence of seed inoculation with Azospirillum brasilense, and the cover nitrogen supplying on common bean development, production components and grain yield. The study was carried out in Selvíria, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil, in the 2011/2012 crop season. The experimental design was randomized blocks, with four replications, in a 8x4 factorial scheme, with treatments consisting of a combination of cover crops (associations of mayze, U. ruziziensis and A. brasilense) and cover nitrogen doses on common bean (0 kg ha^-1, 30 kg ha^-1, 60 kg ha^-1 and 90 kg ha^-1). The preceding crops affected the common bean grain yield, with the mayze and Urochloa intercropping, both inoculated, being the best option. The initial common bean population was not affected by previous crops. The cover nitrogen application did not affect the common bean grain yield under winter irrigation, for the no-tillage system.