Soil preparation and biomass managing for pineapple cultivated in Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil

Abstract

Adequate soil preparation increases pineapple yield and reduces 'production costs and contribute to sustainable agricultura. The conventional tillage (harrowing and grading) is more recommended as it facillitates planting end growth roots, but these benefits do not supersede those achieved through more conservationist and sustainable tillage, how strip-tillage and no-tillage. In RS, the size midle ploughing pineapple (1 ha) end cost of soil preparation is relatively low (1 a 2% total cost ploughing). Since there are no prof of gain nona ef these preparation, in mechanized areas could be used the conventional preparation with maintenance of coverage on the surface, by associates the facillities created to planting and growth of roots, as advantages inhrent strip-tillage and no-tillage. To facillitate harrowing, grading and planting and to avoid biomass incorporation, bafore these operations, the covering may be heaped and after scattered uniformly between the pineapple lines. In soi Is previously planted with pineapple, bafore harrowing ploughing old biomass must be fragmented and dried trough exposition to the sun for decontamination; if the excess be harmful management, one portion of it can be incorporated. In the strip-ti I lage and no-tillage used at steep areas, the covering biomass could be man ipulated on the same form and its maintenance on surface, is still more important also to erosion control. Considerations about sustainable agricultura, soil preparation effects on productivity, mealybug incidcnt, water storage, soil temperature, characteristics fhisical-chemistry and organic matar grade, also are done in the paper.