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AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Taylor J. Sievers, for the Master of Science degree in Plant, Soil, and Agricultural Systems, presented on May 13, 2016, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: COVER CROP CHARACTERISITICS AND IMPACTS ON AGRONOMIC SYSTEMS IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Rachel L. Cook Midwestern farmers face the dual challenge of increasing crop production while reducing environmental impacts. Best management practices to decrease nutrient and soil loss in agronomic systems has fueled the resurgence of the cover cropping practice, but many growers are uncertain about the effects that different cover crop species may have in their fields or how combinations of tillage and cover crops may influence yields or soil characteristics. Different cover crop characteristics, such as above and belowground biomass production, nitrogen content, and decomposition may affect both soils and crop yields. Field experiments were conducted across two sites in southern Illinois from 2013 to 2015 to study characteristics of cover crops and the impact of cover crops and tillage on soils, nutrient availability, and agronomic field crop performance. Specifically, these studies 1) determine the effects of cover crops on soil nitrogen, 2) quantify above and belowground biomass production of cover crops, 3) quantify the grain yield and belowground biomass of the following crops of corn (Zea mays L.) and soybeans (Glycine max L. Merr.), and 4) evaluate cover crop decomposition and nutrient release of a leguminous and non-leguminous species. In both field sites, Hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) treatments produced the most biomass and accumulated the most nitrogen of all cover crop treatments. Cover crop establishment was a problem for the 2014−2015 field season. Cover crops, for the most part, did not have an influence on corn or soybean grain yields, except that corn following Hairy vetch treatments tended to be higher in grain yields than corn following Annual ryegrass treatments. Soybeans following Annual ryegrass treatments tended to be higher in grain yield than soybeans following Canola treatments. Root biomass production was higher for cover cropped plots than non-cover cropped plots (weed root biomass), and corn or soybean root biomass was more affected by tillage practices rather than the main effect of cover crop. Tilled treatments were typically higher in soil nitrate and total inorganic nitrogen compared to No-till treatments, and Annual ryegrass treatments were consistently lower in soil nitrogen compared to other cover crop treatments. Hairy vetch and cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) decomposition and nutrient release was monitored over a 16 week period, with litterbag and intact root core collections at 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, and 16 weeks. Decomposition and nitrogen release data were fit to a single exponential decay model with an asymptote. Cereal rye aboveground (k = 0.14) and belowground (k = 0.19) biomass decomposed more gradually compared to hairy vetch aboveground (k = 0.45) and belowground (k = 0.68) biomass. The same trend developed for nitrogen release with cereal rye aboveground (k = 0.07) and belowground (k = 0.19) biomass releasing nitrogen slower and more gradually compared to hairy vetch aboveground (k = 0.61) and belowground (k = 0.61) biomass. Most of the hairy vetch nitrogen was released around Week 2, but the corn crop did not reach the V6 growth stage until Week 8, therefore cover crop nitrogen release and cash crop uptake may have not been synchronized. Plant Root Simulator™ ion exchange resin membrane probes also captured significantly more nitrogen in hairy vetch plots compared to cereal rye plots at weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, and 12, which indicates that hairy vetch could increase the readily plant available total nitrogen (nitrate + ammonium) in the soil throughout the bulk of cover crop decomposition. Farmers should decrease the time between cover crop termination and cash crop planting in order to increase the likelihood of crop synchrony. This research will help farmers develop better management practices regarding inclusion of cover crops into traditional agronomic production systems.

<p>  </p> <p>This dissertation investigated the influence of formulation and process design on the internal density structure and nutrient release of urea fertilizer as an alternate route to overcome nutrient leaching problems. The first part of the work focused on producing urea composites with different binders to optimize the formulation and composite microstructure. The second part of the study compared the microstructure and release kinetics of dry compacted and bilayer urea granules. Finally, the third part determined nitrate and ammonium leaching using disturbed soil column experiments. The optimization of granule microstructure and formulation design developed in this work yielded a 97.5 % reduction in the initial dissolution rate of modified urea granules compared to conventional urea fertilizer. Thus, the development of processing platforms focused on granule internal density distributions demonstrated a fundamental contribution to optimizing nutrient release properties.</p>

Proper management of soil organic matter (SOM) contributes to increasing plant productivity and reducing dependency on mineral fertilizers. Organic matter is widely regarded as a vital component of a healthy soil as it plays an important role in soil physical, chemical and biological fertility. Plant residues are the primary source of SOM. Therefore, proper SOM management requires a better understanding of plant residue decomposition kinetics in order to synchronize nutrient release during decomposition and plant uptake and prevent nutrient losses. In natural and managed ecosystems, residues are added frequently to soil, in the form of dead roots and litter fall of plant species with different C/N ratios. However, in most studies on residue decomposition, residues with different C/N ratios are added once and the effect of the presence of plants on residue decomposition is rarely investigated. In this project, four experiments were carried out with different objectives in order to close these knowledge gaps. The aim of the first experiment was to investigate the effect of frequent wheat residue addition on C mineralization and N dynamics. The experiment consisted of five treatments with different frequency of residue addition (2% w/w of wheat residues in total): once (100%W), every 16 days (25%), every 8 days (12.5%) or every 4 days (6.25%) and noresidue addition (control) with four replicates. The results showed that increasing frequency of low-N wheat residue addition increased C mineralization. Compared to 100%W, cumulative respiration per g residue at the end of the incubation (day 80) was increased by 57, 82 and 92% at 25%W, 12.5%W and 6.25%W, respectively. Despite large increases in cumulative respiration, frequent residue addition did not affect inorganic N or available N concentrations, microbial biomass C and N or soil pH. It is concluded that experiments with single residue additions may underestimate residue decomposition rates in the field because with several additions, soil microbes respire more of the added C (and possibly native soil C) per unit biomass but that this does not change their N requirements or the microbial community composition. In the second experiment, the effect of mixing of high and low C/N residues at different times during incubation was investigated. There were 4 addition times; 25% of a total of 2% (w/w) residue was added either as wheat (high C/N) or lupin (low C/N) residue. Wheat residue was added to lupin residues on days 16 (LW-16), 32 (LW-32) or 48 (LW-48). Additional treatments were 100%L (added 25% of lupin residues on days 0, 16, 32 and 48) and 100%W (added 25% of wheat residues on days 0, 16, 32 and 48) and 0% (the control) with four replicates. Adding high C/N residues into decomposing low C/N ratio residue strongly decreased the respiration rate compared to the addition of low C/N residues, and lowered the availability of inorganic N, but significantly increased soil pH and altered microbial community composition. By the end of the incubation on day 64, the cumulative respiration of LW-16, LW-32 and LW-48 was similar and approximately 30% lower than in the treatment with only lupin residue addition. The third experiment studied the effect of spatial separation of high and low C/N residues on decomposition and N mineralization. Each microcosm consisted of two PVC caps of 70 mm diameter and 20 mm height with the open end facing each other separated by a 30μm mesh. The caps were filled with soil mixed with either low or high C/N residue with three replicates. Contact of high and low C/N residues led to an increase in the decomposition rate of the high C/N residues at the interface whereas it decreased it in the low C/N residues. The results showed that N and soluble C compounds moved from the easily decomposable residues into the surrounding soil, thereby enhancing microbial activity, increasing inorganic N and significantly changing soil pH in the layer 0-5 mm from the interface compared to the 5-10 mm layer of the high C/N residues, whereas the movement of soluble C and N to high C/N residues decreased the decomposition of the low C/N residues. The final experiment investigated the effect of living plants on decomposition of high and low C/N residues. Wheat was grown in pots with a 30 μm mesh at the bottom. After a root mat had formed (>50% root coverage), a PVC cap with soil with high and low C/N residues (2% w/w) was placed against the mesh. The presence of plant roots significantly increased the respiration rate, N immobilization and increased the soil pH in the 0-5 mm layer in the first 4 days compared to the 5-10 mm layer. This enhanced microbial activity (and probably microbial biomass) can be explained by root exudates. The microbial community composition of plant treatments differed significantly from treatments without plants and the effect was greater in the immediate vicinity of the roots. / Thesis (M.Ag.Sc.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 2009

Thesis (M.Sc.(Soil Science)) -- University of Limpopo, 2015 / Winery solid waste materials namely, wine filter materials (FM), grape marc (berry stalks, skins and seeds) and chopped grapevine pruning canes were composted in heaps through a thermophilic process. The filter materials were mixed with the grape marc and grapevine prunings at five rates (10%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%) to produce five composts herein designated as C10FM, C25FM, C50FM, C75FM and C100FM, respectively. A laboratory incubation study was thereafter carried out to determine the nutrient release potential of the composts using two soil types with varying textural characteristics. Each compost was mixed with soil at a rate equivalent to 200 kg N ha-1 and the mineral N, available P and exchangeable K content determined over 42 days incubation period. Results revealed that the composts possess high C content and low C:N ratios; and released significantly higher NH4-N and K concentration relative to un-amended control. The differences in the amount of P mineralised among the five compost treatments were not significant while significantly higher amount of K was mineralised at higher FM mix rates. The composts were applied to maize cv. SNK2147 on sandy soil in a greenhouse pot study at five rates (5, 10, 20, 40 and 80 t ha-1) to determine their effects on crop growth and yield as well as on selected soil chemical properties. An un-fertilised control and NPK fertiliser treatments were included for comparison. The pots were arranged in a completely randomized design, with each treatment replicated four times. The C50FM, C75FM and C100FM treatments applied at 80 t ha-1 gave significantly higher maize dry matter yield than the NPK fertiliser treatment. Quantitative estimates of the optimum compost rate for dry matter production ranged from 450 to 1842 g pot-1. Application of these composts significantly increased dry matter yield, plant height, stem diameter and the number of functional leaves per plant compared to the un-fertilised control. The K content of shoot from composts treatments exceeded the critical nutritional level of 3.3%. Plant tissue Zn content from C10FM, C25FM and C50FM treatments exceeded the critical nutritional level of 15 mg kg-1 while the residual soil K, Na and Zn contents after crop harvest were significantly increased following compost application. Similarly, the residual P was significantly increased in C25FM, C75FM and C100FM treatments after harvest. In conclusion, application of these composts exerted beneficial effects on maize performance and soil. Field studies under variable conditions are recommended to validate these findings. Keywords: wine, compost, nutrient release potential, maize, soil chemical properties

Thesis (M. Sc. Agriculture (Soil Science)) -- University of Limpopo, 2015 / The activity and functional diversity of micro-organisms contribute to the stability and productivity of agro-ecosystems. Soil micro-organisms and enzyme activities have been suggested as potential indicators of soil quality. Hence, management practices that can enhance microbial diversity and enzyme activities are essential for improving soil health and soil fertility status. The aim of the study was to assess the effects of compost maturity age on the change in bio-quality indicators of compost and compost amended soil. Cattle manure-rich compost was prepared through thermophilic windrow composting using cattle manure and wood chips mixed at a proportion of 4:1 (w/w) to achieve a C:N ratio of 30:1. This compost was sampled at regular intervals of 30 days after the initiation of the composting process until 150 days when it was finally cured. Compost samples of varying degrees of maturity age were air-dried, pulverised and mixed with 1.2 kg surface soil at an equivalent rate of 100 kg P ha-1. Each compost amended soil was transferred into well labelled plastic pots for incubation. Sampling of incubated amended soils was performed at 7 days interval until 42 days; and the samples were used for microbial count, enzyme activity, and mineralisation assessments. Data generated were analysed as factorial experiment using SYSTAT package. Treatment and interaction effects were evaluated using Fisher protected least significant difference at probability level of 5%. Results of the chemical composition of the different composts are similar and comparable. Variation in compost maturity date, incubation time and their interaction exerted significant effects on the measured microbial counts and enzyme activities as bio-quality indicators. The content of bacteriameasured was consistently highest at each sampling date followed by the actinomycetes while fungi population count remained persistently lowest. Bacteria and β-glucosidase represent the dominant microbe and enzyme, respectively in all compost samples taken at different maturity age.The highest count of actinomycetes (6.18 CFU g-1), bacterial (6.73 CFU g-1) and fungi (3.06 CFU g-1) were obtained during the 42-day incubation period.Of all the enzyme activities studied, β-glucosidase content was consistently highest in all compost samples across the sampling dates. Similarly, the highest concentration of ß-glucosidase (3076 mg kg-1 hr-1), phosphatase (1480 mg kg-1 hr-1), dehydrogenase iv (120.07 μg INF g-1 2hr-1) and urease (26.15 mg kg-1 2hr-1) were obtained during the 42-day incubation period. The highest microbial counts and enzyme activities were reached beyond 19 days after incubation. Maximum Bray P1 (20.10 mg kg-1), ammonium N (108 mg kg-1) and nitrate N (189 mg kg-1) were obtained at 42, 14 and 42 days after incubation, respectively. The measured temporal change in the concentrations of bio-quality parameters in the compost-amended soils were highest in compost sampled at 90 days, except for phosphatase, indicating the peak of the thermophilic process. The bio-quality parameters of these composts and the compost amended soil were influenced by compost maturity and incubation time. The uses of mature compost with desirable level of bio-quality indicators are crucial for fertility management and improved soil health. Keywords: Compost maturity, enzyme activities, microbial count, nutrient release, soil fertility

Sugarcane is one of the crops with the highest extraction of macronutrients from the soil, both in cane-plant and ratoon crops, being critical its reposition by means of fertilizers. In the Brazilian sugarcane agrosystem, the supply of elements, such as, potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) and sulfur (S) is commonly performed by fertilizers, like potassium chloride, and soil amendments, such as, lime and phosphogypsum, producing high costs by sole application. In this context, the study aimed to determine the potential of polyhalite as a multi-nutrient source of K, Ca, Mg and S and its effects on yield and quality of sugarcane. In order to reach this objective, the study was divided into three stages: i) field evaluation in low K soil comparing doses of POLY with the combined application of KCl and GYP to evaluate yield, quality, soil chemical parameters, straw and stalk macronutrient content in two sugarcane varieties. ii) elemental, mineralogical and release characterization of the polyhalite (POLY) and potassium chloride (KCl) by the use of micro X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (&#181;XRF) and X-ray diffraction spectrometry; and (iii) evaluation under glasshouse conditions to evaluate the residual effect of the application of POLY dosages contrasted to the application of KCl, GYP and kieserite (KIE) in the leaf macronutrients content, and biomass production in an Oxisol with a low level of K. Based on the field experiment, the application of calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sulfur (S) and mainly potassium (K), irrespective the source applied, affected positively the yield in sugarcane. Related to the dosage, application of 105 kg K2O ha-1, which corresponds to farmer\'s recommended dosage, promoted the highest stalk yields for both varieties, CV7870 and RB867515. This dosage keeps the adequate nutritional status of sugarcane ratoon and enhance the K content in stalk, promoting the accumulation of sucrose in this plant organ. In relation to the soil parameters, for the variety RB867515, after cultivation, most of the nutrient concentration remained in soil were not significant compared to control, suggesting that as much fertilizer is applied this variety will uptake and export. In contrast, the variety CV7870 showed higher remained values for soil Ca, Mg and S in the treatments compared to the control after cultivation, indicating a residual effect, irrespective the treatment. Based on the laboratory results, KCl granule in the moisture low-K sandy Oxisol has rapidly promoted dissolution of nutrients and then released Cl- and K+, being susceptible for leaching, whereas POLY granule performed as a slow-release fertilizer due to its low solubility compared to KCl, enhancing residual effect over time. The results of the glasshouse showed that DM yield and nutrient uptake were more correlated to high K dosages applied (42 and 63 mg kg-1) and K sources containing Ca and S in the formulation (POLY, KCl+GYP+KIE and &#189;KCl &#189;POLY), for both cane-plant and ratoon. However, when these sources were provided at the lowest dosage (21 mg kg-1) it was observed superior agronomic efficiency for all added nutrients, indicating that a combination of KCl and POLY can be used more efficiently as K source for sugarcane. Taking together, both experiments, in the field and in the greenhouse, showed that polyhalite is suitable to supply K, Ca, Mg and S at the farmer\'s dosage recommendation. Furthermore, the blend of 50% polyhalite and 50% KCl could be adopted for farmers minimizing plant nutrient losses with a more balanced nutrition. / A cana-de-açúcar é uma das culturas com maior extração de macronutrientes do solo, tanto em cana-planta quanto em soca, sendo fundamental sua reposição por meio de fertilizantes. O fornecimento de elementos como potássio (K), cálcio (Ca), magnésio (Mg) e enxofre (S) para cana-de-açúcar é comumente realizado por fertilizantes, como o cloreto de potássio, e condicionadores do solo, como calcário e gesso agrícola, gerando altos custos por cada aplicação. Neste contexto, o estudo teve como objetivo determinar o potencial de polialita (POLY) como fonte multi-nutriente de K, Ca, Mg e S e seus efeitos na produtividade e qualidade da cana-de-açúcar. Para isso, o estudo foi dividido em três etapas: i) avaliação em campo usando solo com baixo nível de K comparando doses de POLY com a aplicação combinada de KCl e gesso agrícola (GYP) para avaliar rendimento, qualidade, parâmetros químicos do solo, teor de macronutrientes de palha e colmo em duas variedades de cana-de-açúcar, CV7870 e RB867515. ii) caracterização elementar, mineralógica e de liberação do polihalita (POLY) e cloreto de potássio (KCl) pelo uso de espectrometria de micro fluorescência de raios X (&#181;XRF) e espectrometria de difração de raios-X; e (iii) avaliação em condições de casa de vegetação do efeito residual da aplicação de dosagens de POLY em contraste com a aplicação conjunta de KCl, GYP e kieserite (KIE) no teor de macronutrientes foliares, e produção de biomassa. Com base no experimento de campo, a aplicação de Ca, Mg, S e principalmente K, independentemente da fonte aplicada, afetou positivamente o rendimento em cana-de-açúcar. Em relação à dosagem, a aplicação de 105 kg K2O ha-1, que corresponde à dosagem recomendada, promoveu os maiores rendimentos de colmos para ambas as variedades, CV7870 e RB867515. Essa dosagem mantém o estado nutricional adequado da cana-soca e aumenta o teor de K no colmo, promovendo o acúmulo de sacarose na planta. Em relação aos parâmetros do solo, para a variedade RB867515, após o cultivo, a maior parte da concentração de nutrientes remanescente no solo não teve efeito significativo em relação ao controle, sugerindo que, quanto mais fertilizante for aplicado, essa variedade será capaz de absorver e exportar. Em contrapartida, a variedade CV7870 apresentou maiores valores remanescentes de Ca, Mg e S no solo em relação ao controle após o cultivo, indicando um efeito residual, independentemente do tratamento. Com base nos resultados laboratoriais, o grânulo de KCl em solo úmido com baixo teor de K promoveu rapidamente a dissolução dos nutrientes e liberou Cl- e K+, sendo mais suscetível à lixiviação, enquanto que o grânulo POLY apresentou baixa solubilidade em comparação ao KCl, aumentando o efeito residual ao longo do tempo. Os resultados mostraram que a produção de biomassa e a absorção de nutrientes foram mais correlacionados às altas doses K (42 e 63 mg kg-1) e fontes de K contendo Ca e S na formulação (POLY, KCl + GYP + KIE e &#189;KCl &#189;POLY), tanto para cana-planta quanto para soca. Entretanto, quando essas fontes foram fornecidas na dose mais baixa (21 mg kg-1), foi observada eficiência agronômica superior para todos os nutrientes adicionados, indicando que uma combinação de KCl e POLY seria mais eficiente como fonte de K para cana-de-açúcar. Numa avaliação geral, a polihalita foi adequada para fornecer K, Ca, Mg e S na dose recomendada de 105 kg K2O ha-1. Assim mesmo, a mistura de 50% de polihalita e 50% de KCl pode ser adotada para os agricultores reduzindo as perdas nutricionais para planta.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-26T13:30:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 texto completo.pdf: 537077 bytes, checksum: 87b9c3bc305f8241b417b885c367acb1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-07-24 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / Several papers have been published recently to investigate the relationship between ecosystem functioning and biodiversity, even though a conclusive position regarding this subject is still lacking. This study tests the relationship between litter decomposition and nutrient release rates with litter arthropod species richness and composition. The hypotheses that (i) sites with higher litter arthropod species richness have higher decomposition and nutrient release rates, and (ii) litter arthropod species composition affects decomposition and nutrient release rates were tested, in a secondary re-growth forest in Brazil. Litter decomposition rates did not respond to litter arthropod species richness, suggesting a redundancy between arthropod species. This may signify that litter arthropod community is composed by groups of species that play similar roles in ecosystem functioning, so that the increase of species richness does not translate into changes of decomposition rates. On the other hand, there are group compositions that disfavor decomposition rates. When the mite groups Laelapidae and Trombidiinae, both composed of predator species, were present, there was a decrease of litter decomposition rates. These two groups could be considered as key-species, because they could decrease the abundance of several other groups that take part on the decomposition process. Concluding, even though several species apparently play similar roles on the decomposition process, there are some key-species that influence more dramatically the ecosystem process here analyzed. / Atualmente diversos trabalhos têm investigado a relação entre biodiversidade e funcionamento dos ecossistemas. Apesar disso ainda não há uma posição conclusiva quanto ao assunto. O objetivo deste trabalho foi verificar se há relação entre a riqueza e a composição de espécies de artrópodes de serapilheira e as taxas de decomposição e liberação de nutrientes. Para isso duas hipóteses foram testadas: (i) locais com maior riqueza de espécies de artrópodes de serapilheira têm maior taxa de decomposição e de liberação de nutrientes; (ii) a composição específica da comunidade de artrópodes de serapilheira afeta a taxa de decomposição e de liberação de nutrientes. A taxa de decomposição não respondeu significativamente à riqueza de espécies de artrópodes. Esse resultado sugere que há redundância entre as espécies de artrópodes, ou seja, a comunidade de artrópode estudada provavelmente é composta por grupos de espécies que têm papéis similares, de maneira que o aumento na riqueza não se traduz em modificação no funcionamento do ecossistema. Além disso, a composição específica do grupo de ácaros Laelapidae e Trombidiidae mostrou influência negativa sobre a taxa de decomposição, o que pode ser justificado devido ao hábito alimentar que os mesmos apresentam. Nesse caso, os dois grupos de ácaros poderiam ser exemplos de grupos-chave, uma vez que sua presença implica na diminuição significativa da taxa de decomposição. Dessa maneira, conclui-se que embora a maioria das espécies apresente papéis similares, existem espécieschave que podem estar presentes, desempenhando papel importante no funcionamento dos ecossistemas.

Sistemas integrados de produção agrícola e pecuária estão sendo cada vez mais adotados no país e existe um grande potencial, no subtrópico brasileiro, de integrar a pecuária nas grandes extensões de pastagens hibernais cultivadas, antecedendo lavouras de verão, como soja e milho. Nesses sistemas, enquanto o animal é considerado o elemento catalizador e o solo é o compartimento que centraliza e captura as modificações impostas pelo manejo. Neste estudo, investigou-se um sistema com produção de soja-bovinos de corte, em um consórcio de azevém + aveia preta, manejada em diferentes alturas de pastejo (10, 20, 30, 40 cm) e uma área sem pastejo. O experimento foi instalado em maio de 2001, em São Miguel das Missões - RS, em Latossolo Vermelho distroférrico, em sistema plantio direto. Foram abordados aspectos relacionados aos impactos do manejo do sistema sobre os teores e os estoques de carbono e nitrogênio após nove anos da instalação do experimento. Também foi estudada a cinética de liberação de carbono, nitrogênio, fósforo, potássio, cálcio e magnésio, em dois ciclos pastejo-soja (2009/11), a partir da decomposição dos resíduos vegetais, em sacos de decomposição (litter bags). Intensidades de pastejo moderadas a leve (20, 30 e 40 cm de altura do pasto) promoveram aumento nos teores e estoques de carbono orgânico e nitrogênio, total e particulado, semelhantemente ao observado na área sem pastejo. Valores do índice de manejo de carbono (IMC), em comparação com os da área tomada como referência (mata nativa e SP), indicam alta degradação da qualidade da matéria orgânica na maior intensidade de manejo (10 cm). A velocidade da ciclagem dos nutrientes foi maior nas intensidades moderadas de pastejo (20 e 30 cm), tanto dos resíduos da pastagem como do esterco. A decomposição dos resíduos da soja, cultivada na sequência, não foi afetada pelo manejo do pasto. As folhas apresentaram uma decomposição mais rápida, e consequente liberação mais rápida de nutrientes, em relação aos caules. A quantidade de nutrientes liberados dos resíduos em um ciclo pastejo-soja é suficiente em relação à demanda das plantas (pastagem e soja) e, majoritariamente, determinada pelos resíduos do pastejo (pasto + esterco), que foram maiores nas áreas com pastejo leve e nas áreas sem pastejo. / Integrated crop-livestock systems are lately being increasingly used in the country, and there is a great utilization potential in brazilian subtropic region, by integrating catlle production in a large area covered by winter pastures, preceeding summer crops, mostly soybean and corn. The animal, in such systems, is considered the catalizing agent, while the soil is the compartment that captures all the modifications imposed by animal and pasture management This research investigated a soybean-cattle system in a pasture mixture (ryegrass + black oat), managed at different plant heights (10, 20, 30 and 40 cm) and no grazed areas. The experiment was established in May, 2001, in São Miguel das Missões county, Rio Grande do Sul state – Brazil, in a clayey Hapludox, under no-tillage system. The impacts of the integrated system management in total and particulated fractions of carbon and nitrogen were studied nine years after the experiment started. Nutrient (carbon. nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium) cycling was also studied in two soybean-livestock cycles (2009/11), by plant and animal residue decomposition in litter bags. Moderately and light (20 and 30 and 40 cm plant height, respectively) pasture pressure resulted in similar increase of total and particulated carbon and nitrogen stocks and contents, as found in no-grazed area. Carbon managements indexes (CMI), as compared with the reference areas, indicated high degradation of organic matter quality under the most instensive grazing intensity (10 cm of pasture height). Nutrient cycling was higher in moderately grazing (20 and 30 cm pastures height), for pasture and cattle residues. Soybean residue decomposition was not affected by pasture and cattle management; however soybean leaves were more readily decomposed, and in this way, fastly release nutrients, as compared with stem decomposition. The amount of released nutrients in a soybean-cattle cycle is high as compared with plants (pasture and soybean) requirement for high yields and mostly determined by cattle and pasture residues that were higher under light and no grazing intensities, due to higher residue production.