The seasonality of forage production is one of the main challenges in semi-arid regions, where environmental conditions limit agricultural productivity. One promising option is the use of elephant grass ‘BRS Capiaçu’, together with deficit irrigation. This study evaluated the impact of different irrigation depths with brackish water (50%, 75%, 100% and 125% of the reference evapotranspiration – ET 0 ) on the productive, physio...

Adopting resilient practices is crucial to balancing food production and crop sustainability in semiarid regions. Therefore, adopting systems that provide greater stocks of water, carbon, and nutrients at the soil-plant interface is crucial. The objective of this study was to assess water, carbon, and nutrient stocks in the soil-plant systems of irrigated forage crops in the semiarid region of Brazil. The study was conducted i...

In the face of climate change, agricultural modelling combined with experimental research is essential for predicting yields in diverse climatic scenarios. This study calibrated, validated and applied the AquaCrop model for forage sorghum under future climate scenarios in a semi‐arid region between 2020 and 2022. Meteorological data, soil moisture, canopy cover and crop productivity were collected. Model performance was evalua...

Background and aims In grass-based forage systems, integrating legumes can stimulate soil microbial communities, strengthen biogeochemical cycling, and reduce reliance on synthetic nitrogen inputs. However, soil responses may vary according to the grass cultivar. Cenchrus purpureus (Schumach.) Morrone cultivars contrasting in plant height, Mercker (tall) and Mott (dwarf), were evaluated under nitrogen-fertilised monoculture (3...

Cover crops have the potential to reduce agricultural inputs, but the long-term impacts of cover crops on soil chemical properties and nutrient cycling in tropical systems are not fully understood. This study evaluated the impact of different cover crop systems under long-term no-tillage on shoot dry mass (SDM) production, nutrient cycling, soil chemical properties, and soybean yield in succession in the Cerrado region of Mato...

Forage production in semi‐arid regions of Brazil is limited by water deficit. This study aimed to identify the most adapted and efficient production systems and define their agricultural calendars for the semi‐arid region of Brazil. Twenty‐nine production arrangements that included different cropping conditions, plant density, plant cycles, water replenishment, use of soil cover and production arrangements based on the main cr...

This study aimed to evaluate the agronomic performance, crop evapotranspiration (ET c ), crop coefficients (K c , K cb and K e ) and yield response factor (K y ) of three forage cactus clones—Orelha de Elefante Mexicana (OEM), Miúda (MIU) and IPA Sertânia (IPA)—grown in a semiarid environment. Four experiments involving different irrigation strategies and the use of mulch were conducted between 2012 and 2020. The OEM clone pre...