Integrated triple cropping enhances soybean productivity

Using soil cover residues from previous crops through integrated systems has proven effective in driving changes in soil properties with nutrient cycling, promoting higher grain production. However, there is still a need to investigate the changes that different cultivation arrangements of these management systems can influence on soybean productivity. The aim was to compare conventional soybean cultivation methods with integrated systems in a tropical region over 2 years and how these systems affect desiccation efficiency, biomass decomposition, carbon/nitrogen ratio, nutrient cycling, as well as soybean productivity. An experimental area, under a block design with three replications, with conventional soybean cultivation system with soybean cultivated over crop residues produced by a previous integration of maize, three cultivars of Panicum maximum (Tamani, Quenia, and Zuri guinea grasses), and pigeon pea, arranged in monoculture and triple intercropping, it was implemented in Latossolo Vermelho Acriférrico typical, Goiás, Brazil. The results indicated that Tamani and Quenia guinea grasses, along with pigeon pea, exhibited higher desiccation efficiency in both monoculture and intercropping. The previous integration of maize with Panicum cultivars and pigeon pea increased soil coverage and maximized nutrient cycling, resulting in increasing productivity gains by approximately 39.8% compared to soybean cultivation without biomass covering the soil. These results highlight the importance of considering nutrient cycling and decomposition rates in fertilization strategies to increase the sustainability of systems. Therefore, integrated systems, which combine grasses and legumes, represent a promising and efficient strategy for agricultural production systems.