La gestion efficace des champignons mycorhiziens arbusculaires (CMA) est largement considérée comme une stratégie prometteuse pour le développement de l’agriculture durable et de conservation. Or, la culture conventionnelle de Brassicaceae non-mycorhiziennes, un groupe qui comprend plusieurs cultures d’une grande importance économique en Amérique du Nord, telles que le chou régulier (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) et le brocoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica), peut réduire la densité des CMA dans les agroécosystèmes. Dans le but de réduire l’impact négatif des cultures de brocoli et de chou sur l’abondance des CMA au champ, nous proposons de cultiver ces plants en compagnonnage persistant avec du trèfle blanc (Trifolium repens L.), une plante dépendant largement des CMA. Nous avons testé l’impact de la culture intercalaire de B. oleracea, sur (1) la colonisation des racines de Brassicaceae par les CMA et le rendement de ces cultures, et (2) la vitesse et l’intensité de colonisation d’une culture subséquente associée aux CMA, le maïs sucré, et son rendement. Dans cette étude, nous avons observé que les CMA pouvaient coloniser et former des vésicules dans les racines de cultures de B. oleracea, même lorsque cultivées sans culture mycorhizienne d’entre-rang, probablement via d’autres sources de carbone. Néanmoins, plus de brocolis étaient colonisés lorsqu’ils étaient cultivés dans les parcelles avec trèfle, mais ils étaient colonisés à une plus basse intensité. Comme escompté, l’adoption d’une culture de couverture intercalaire de trèfle persistant à travers les deux rotations a réduit le délai de colonisation de la culture de maïs et en a augmenté le rendement. / Efficient management of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) holds much potential in conservation and sustainable agriculture. Growing non-mycorrhizal Brassicaceae crops, including crops of great economic importance in North America such as regular cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) and broccoli (B. oleracea var. italica), has been associated with reduced AMF density in agroecosystem. In the hope of reducing the negative impact of broccoli and cabbage culture on AMF abundance in fields, we cultivated these crops alongside mycorrhizal white clover (Trifolium repens L.) in a persistent intercropping system. We tested the impact of B. oleracea intercropping on (1) AMF root colonization levels and crop yield, and on (2) the AMF colonization speed and level, as well as the yield of a following mycorrhiza-dependent crop rotation, sweet maize (Zea mays L.) In this study, we found that AMF could colonize and produce vesicles in B. oleracea crop roots, even when grown without a mycorrhizal intercrop, probably through other carbon sources. Intercropping with clover still led to more broccolis being colonized by AMF, but at a lower intensity than in sole crop plots. As expected, use of a persistent clover intercrop reduced colonization delay and increased yield of the subsequent maize rotation.

Orientador: Marcelo Carvalho Minhoto Teixeira Filho / Resumo: Alternative management practices are needed to minimize the need for chemical fertilizer use in non-leguminous cropping systems. The use of biological agents which can fix atmospheric nitrogen and promote plant growth has shown potential as an option to improve soil nutrient availability to grass crops. In recent years, studies investigating the effects of silicon (Si) have increased substantially, especially in grain crops. This increased interest in Si is likely due to the beneficial effects of Si application on plant resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses, reflecting on greater plant development. This research was developed to investigate if inoculation of corn and wheat with Azospirillum brasilense associated with Si can enhance nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and improve plant nutrition and yield, leading to a greater economic profit. The study was set up in a Rhodic Haplustox under no-till system, located in Selvíria, state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. The field trial took place during the 2015/16 (November-March), 2016 (April-September), 2016/17 (November-March) and 2017 April-September) seasons, with corn and wheat crops in sucession (spring/summer and winter seasons for corn and wheat, respectively). Treatments were tested in a randomized completely block design with four replicates, arranged in a full factorial design 5 × 2 × 2 and included: i) five N application rates, as urea source, applied in side-dressing (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 kg ha-1); ii) two liming sou... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Doutor