SOIL PROTECTION BY USED OF COVER CROPS CONSORTIA AND SINGLE CULTIVATION

The no-till system has been growing over the years and for this system to be successful, it is essential to maintain permanent vegetation cover over the soil, an adequate crop rotation system with minimal overturning. A strategy for soil protection is to introduce species of cover crops in winter under single or intercropping. The objective was to evaluate the rate of soil cover by intercropping between black oats ( Avena strigosa L.) and forage turnip ( Raphanus sativus L.) at different sowing densities, as well as the isolated species in terms of soil protection under no-tillage. The study was conducted at the Federal Technological University of Parana (UTFPR), campus Santa Helena, with a randomized block design, with five treatments and three repetitions. The treatments were: 100% black oats (BO); 100% forage turnip (FT); 75% BO + 25% FT; 50% BO + 50% FT and 25% BO + 75% FT. The cover crops were sown in May 2019. The percentage of soil cover from 21 to 91 days after sowing (DAS) was evaluated using the photographic method, with weekly collection of images in an area delimited by a metallic frame (25 m²), positioned on the ground at two fixed points per plot. The coverage rate quantification was estimated by overlaying a grid with 100 points of intersection over each image. The rate of soil cover by consortia and single crops did not show a statistically significant difference. To 49 days, consortia had coverage equal to or greater than 70%, while for single species, this percentage was reached at 56 DAS and 70 DAS, for BO and FT, respectively. All treatments showed high potential for soil protection and coverage rate from 70 DAS.