Cover crops for the northwest region from Sao Paulo State, Brazil

This study was conducted to evaluate the productivity of biomass of five cover crops used for the production of grain, seeds and fodder in different sowing density per hectare, and of spontaneous vegetation for the northwest region of Sao Paulo State, Brazil. The experiments were installed in Votuporanga, SP, Brazil and Selviria, MS, Brazil in March 2008, after conventional tillage. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with four replications, using the following cover crops at different sowing density: Sorghum bicolor: 6, 7 and 8kg ha(-1), Pennisetum americanum, 10, 15 and 20kg ha(-1), Sorghum sudanense, 12, 15 and 18kg ha(-1), hybrid of Sorghum bicolor with Sorghum sudanense: 8, 9 and 10kg ha(-1), Urochloa ruziziensis: 8, 12 and 16kg ha(-1). It was used a control treatment with spontaneous vegetation. The biomass of different toppings in harvesting/cutting of covers was evaluated, in the pre-sowing and flowering of soybean and corn. The use of cover crops proved more beneficial than leaving areas fallow. It was concluded that different cover crops evaluated showed to be good options as cover crops for the northwest region of Sao Paulo State and the different sowing density from each plant cover did not influence biomass productivity of the same plant coverage.