ABSTRACT Potassium (K) is one of the most highly accumulating nutrients in Eucalyptus and, consequently, is heavily exported by the harvesting of wood. Moreover, its availability in the soil in most Brazilian plantation areas is very low, especially in the regions of the Cerrado biome, which has soils with low natural fertility and marked water deficits, implying a lack of nutrient supply and, consequently, a less efficient water use. Our objective was to evaluate the effects of K fertilization on […]

ABSTRACT Pig slurry use as soil fertilizer is a common practice in southern Brazil. In spite of the benefits of reusing waste, this practice poses serious environmental risks. Microbiological indicators of soil quality are very sensitive and allow soil environment conditions to be monitored. The aim of this study was to evaluate the microbiological quality of pasture soils with different histories of successive use of pig slurry. Determinations were made of C content in the microbial biomass, soil microbial respiration, […]

The species of the Eucalyptus genus are the most cultivated in the world and have become a solution for reducing the pressure on native forests. The aim of this study was to evaluate the dry biomass and its distribution in the different compartments of the trees (leaves, branches, bark, wood and roots), and assess their macronutrient content and nutrient balance in the soil-plant system in a Eucalyptus urophylla x E. grandis plantation at 60 months of age on the Água […]

The feasibility of no-tillage in the Cerrado (Savanna-like vegetation of Brazil) depends on the production of sufficient above-ground crop residue, which can be increased by corn-forage intercropping. This study evaluated how above-ground crop residue production and yields of soybean and late-season corn in a soybean-corn rotation were influenced by the following crops in the year before soybean: corn (Zea mays L.) intercropped with Brachiaria (Urochloa) brizantha cv. Marandu, B. decumbens cv. Basilisk, B. ruziziensis, cv. comum., Panicummaximum cv. Tanzânia, sunn […]

In no-tillage systems, plant residues are used as soil cover to control soil erosion and promote nutrient cycling. The objective of this study was to evaluate the dry matter production and nutrient accumulation after different crop sequences in no-tillage. A field experiment was carried out on a Rhodic Eutrudox in Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil (48°18’W and 21°15’S). A randomized split-block design with three replications was used. The treatments were combinations of three summer crop sequences (soybean-corn rotation, corn monoculture and soybean […]

Forest management practices can alter nutrient exportation from the site. The purpose of this study was to estimate nutrient contents in the aboveground biomass of eucalyptus plantations in Brazil. The influence of key climatic variables on eucalypt productivity and nutrient content was evaluated, using the database from the Reserch Programa on Soil and Eucalyptus Nutrition of the Soil Science, Departament – Federal University of Viçosa, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Climatic characteristics were an important component of the models. In regions […]

The effects of liming rates on growth and heart-of-palm yield of peach palm plants (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) were studied in a two-year field experiment conducted in Pariquera-Açu, State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Soils in this region are allic (sub group Ultic Haplorthox), with base saturation ranging from 15 to 26 % of the cation exchange capacity (CEC). A randomized complete block design, with five rates of dolomitic limestone (0, 0.7, 4.7, 8.7, and 14.6 Mg ha-1) and five replications was utilized. Individual plots were […]

Nutrient cycling in eucalypt plantation systems allows for an evaluation of eventual differences due to the applied management methods and inferences on the sustainability of plantations. The aim of this study was to evaluate possible differences in nutrient cycling and balance in eucalypt plantation systems according to the species. Stands of Eucalyptus grandis, E. camaldulensis, and E. pellita were evaluated at the age of six years, in the Coastal Plains in the north of Rio de Janeiro State (Yellow Oxisol and Argisol) […]

The soils of the Submiddle São Francisco River Valley are generally sandy, with low nutrient retention capacity. Since they are located in a semi-arid area, they are very poor in organic matter (OM) and as a consequence are deficient in nitrogen, which limits agricultural production. Thus, the use of legumes as green manure may overcome this problem because it adds carbon and nitrogen to soil. The study comprised two experiments with legumes intercropped with irrigated grape (Vitis vinifera) in a […]

Acid phosphatase activity was evaluated in leaf extracts of four year old peach palms (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) in January, 1995. Plants from four progenies were field-grown under the combination of two levels of phosphorus (P1 = 0 and P2 = 200 kg ha-1 year-1 of P2O5) and two levels of nitrogen (N1 = 0 and N2 = 400 kg ha-1 year-1 of N). Potassium was applied at a rate of 200 kg ha-1 year-1 of K2O. The results of acid […]