Ing. Agr. M.Sc. Stella AltuveRoma – FAO

September 2005

Crop Pasture Systems - Campos Region

Crop Pasture Systems - Campos Region

•Situation of agriculture in campos region

•Main crop-pasture rotations

•Problems and needs of crop-pasture rotations

Agriculture- Southern Cone Argentina- Brazil- Paraguay and Uruguay

Last 40 years

• Cultivated area (annual crops) has grown from 25 to 60 million ha.

• About 1 million ha of native pasture land is being transferred into cropping agriculture every year

Díaz Rosello, R. 2005

Campos Region

•Located: 24-34° south latitude

•Area: 40 million ha

•Climate: temperate to subtropical

•Soils: molisols , vertisols, ultisols

•Rainfall: 1200-1600 mm/year

•Annual average temperature: 20° C

•Altitude: 0-500m asl

Before 70’s main agricultural activity was livestock production on savannah type natural pasture

During and after 70’s agriculture increasing due to:

•Favourable physical condition of soils, good rainfall and temperature

•New technologies

Embrapa-Passo FUNDO (PHOTO)

New technologies has been adopted to intensify food production:

• mechanization

• capital investment (pesticides, fertilizers, hybrids, GMO among others)

• reduction in area of animal production

• modification of farm structures (foreign companies)

• increases in monoculture

In this move towards intensive annual cropping, main changes are:

Approximately 32 % of animal farming areas under native pastures were replaced with annual crops in last 20 years

Embrapa photo

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

40000

1980 1990 2000

Pro

du

ce

rs

0

100000

200000

300000

400000

500000

600000

700000

800000

900000

He

cta

res

Producers

Hectares

Fuente: DIEA/MGAP, Uruguay 2000

Drastic reduction in the number of small size producers was observed while medium and large producers increased with participation of foreign companies

Monoculture and abandoned

land cause deterioration

of the environment

Rice monoculture leads to very slow soil recover after land is abandoned

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

NP 1 4 6 (years)

%

Covered soil

Uncovered soil

Debris

INTA Mercedes-CTES

Structure stability and soil organic matter (OM) under natural pasture (NP) and abandoned rice fields (ARF)

Venialgo y Ligier, 1993

Ar

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

0 2 4 7 11

years

stru

ctu

re s

tab

ilit

y (C

MW

D)

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

% O

M

NP

ARF

OM

macrofauna in soil

NP ARF

density (%) 288 1428

diversity (Shanon index)

0,870 0,480

Density of macrofauna increases in abandoned rice field (ARF) but diversity decreases

Adapt. Folgarait, P. et al, 2003

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

NP ARF

Density of Camponotus punctulatus is low in natural pasture (NP) and high in abandoned

rice fields (ARF)

Adapt. Folgarait, P. et al (2003)

Indiv/m2

Adapt. Folgarait, P. et al (2003)

Camponotus punctulatus is the dominant macrofauna in abandoned rice fields (ARF)

THE CHALLENGE…

• Increase agricultural production and income

• Assure social welfare

• Improve and maintain environmental conditions

The use of forages/livestock integrated with grain production improves sustainability of the system:

• less dependence on international market prices of grains

• intensification of beef production

• wheat/ soybean/ temperate pasture/ maize

• soybean/ rice/ temperate pasture/ soybean/ rice

• rice/ temperate pasture/ tropical pasture/ rice

• soybean/ wheat/ tropical pasture/ soybean

The main crop-pasture systems are:

0

1000

2000

3000

net income (US$/ha)

crop + crop 1500

crop + pasture 2255

period 1995 to 1998

Income from different cropping systems

Moraes, A. et al. 2000

Cropping system LWG kg/ha/year

Rice /natural pasture Rice/ improved pasture

50-80 250-400

Beef production from rice/pasture systems

Effects of production system on grain yield of soybean and oats from 1996 to 2002Production system

Soybean grain yield (ton/ha)

Oats grain yield (ton/ha)

Soil density mg/m³

0 – 5cm 10 – 15cm

I 2.86a 2.73bc 1.35 1.50

II 2.80ab 2.51c 1.38 1.52

III 2.56c 3.11a 1.29 1.47

IV 3.00a 3.19a 1.30 1.49

V 3.00a 3.26a 1.22 1.38I) wheat/soybean/common bean/maize/white oats/soybean

II) wheat/soybean/black oat + common bean/maize/white oats/soybean

III) wheat/soybean/common bean/maize/white oats/soybean (after 3 years perennial temperate grasses and legumes)

IV) wheat/soybean/common bean/maize/white oats/soybean (after 3 years tropical and temperate grasses and legumes)

V) wheat/soybean/common bean/maize/white oats/soybean (after 3 years lucerne)

Adapted Fontanelli, 2003 (in press)

Annual erosion Soil density

(gr/cm3)

soil

(ton/ha) om

(kg/ha) 6 years 16 years

SIS 1

87

72

1.24 1.23

SIS 2

35

22

1.11 1.16

Data from R. Díaz, A. Morón y A. García, 1991

SIS 1: Agriculture With Fertilization SIS 2: Rotation Crop/Pasture 50%

Evolution of fertility parameters according to differents systems

(Trial “Rotaciones Viejas” La Estanzuela; Uruguay- 1964-1990)

Evolution of fertility parameters according to differents systems (Trial “Rotaciones Viejas” La Estanzuela, Uruguay

( 1964-1990)

Garcia,A and Moron,A., 1991

Microbial biomass mg/gr dry soil

C N P

SIS 1 175 20.5 13.2

SIS 2 351 41.3 24

SIS 1: Agriculture With Fertilization SIS 2: Rotation Crop/Pasture 50%

Problems and needs of crop-pasture systems

In the Campos Region the use of forages in the cropping systems varies according to:

•Variable agroecological conditions

•Traditional livestock production systems

•Labour and capital investments

•Farmer confidence in the profitability of investments

•Extension systems

•Availability of persistent species and varieties

Species and cultivar selection

• New species, especially legumes, need to be incorporated into the options available

• Selection programmes based around the screening of native flora (legumes / grasses) are necessary

Final Considerations

The abandonment of land after monoculture leads to serious social, economic and environmental problems

Final Considerations

The introduction of forages into crop production systems promotes social, economic and environmental sustainability

Thank you