Growth and Productivity of Sugarcane Cultivated in Soils Submitted to Chiseling in the Planting Row and in Total Area

Soil tillage carried out in total area in sugarcane field reform causes changes in soil structure, affecting root system development due to the use of agricultural machinery from planting to harvesting. Thus, we assessed the growth and stalk productivity of sugarcane cultivated in an Oxisol and Ultisol submitted to chiseling in the planting row and in total area. The experiment was conducted in two agricultural areas in a large paired-plot design. Treatments consisted of two areas submitted to chiseling in the planting row (CPR) and chiseling in total area (CTA) in an Oxisol and Ultisol. The variables number of tillers, number of green and dead leaves per plant, leaf area, leaf area index, plant height, and total dry matter were measured during six assessments over the crop cycle sugarcane planting with the variety CTC 14 in the Oxisol and with the variety CTC 4 in the Ultisol. In addition, stalk productivity was assessed after harvesting. The assessments were performed at 1071, 1705, 2388, 3600, 4593, and 5764 accumulated degree-days (ADD) in the Oxisol and at 821, 1519, 2294, 3570, 4562, and 5754 ADD in the Ultisol. Soil tillage with CPR can be replaced by CTA since growth and stalk productivity of sugarcane were similar regardless of the location of the chiseling operation.