SOIL CHEMICAL ATRIBUTES ASSOCIATED WITH WHEAT YIELD IN A PLOT WITH DIFFERENT YIELD POTENTIALS

Different yield potentials between plots and within them have been verified in areas managed under no-till (NT). Precision farming (PF) techniques can help in identifying these distinct areas, but for efficient soil fertility management in areas under long-term NT, there must be representative sampling. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of soil chemical properties on wheat yield in accordance with the sampling layer or depth in an area under long-term NT using zones of a plot with different yield potentials. The study was carried out at the Reservado Iguacu (Iguacu Conservation Area), Parana, Brazil, in an area under NT for 25 years and with adoption of PF techniques for five years. Using data from yield maps of previous crops, two zones with distinct yield potentials were identified, named Z1 (higher yields) and Z2 (lower yields), in which sample grids with 16 units (50 x 50 m) were established. Wheat yield was estimated in three points per sampling unit, taking soil samples in the 0.0-0.1 and 0.1-0.2 m depths at the same points. Wheat yield was 22 % higher in Z1 as compared to Z2, in agreement with the yield maps from previous crops. Soil organic carbon contents (C-org) were higher in Z1 for both soil layers. In the 0.1-0.2 m layer, the aluminum saturation (m %) and the Al3+ contents were significantly higher in Z2. In this same layer, Z1 showed higher values of pH and base saturation (V %) and higher levels of Ca2+, Mg2+ and K+. There was positive correlation between wheat yield and Corg content in both soil layers, and considering only the 0.1-0.2 m layer, correlation was positive with pH, V % and Ca2+, Mg2+ and K+ contents, and negative with Al3+. The differences in soil fertility between Z1 and Z2 were mainly in the 0.1-0.2 m layer and were associated with the difference in wheat yield, indicating that the presence of this stratum is important for soil sampling in long-term NT areas aiming to correctly represent the status of soil fertility.