ABSTRACT Integration of systems with pastures, using silvopastoral systems, can increase soil carbon levels, optimize land use, improve the quality and productivity of agricultural products, and promote the conservation of environmental resources. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of management practices of marandu grass at eucalyptus shading levels in a silvopastoral systems, on organic carbon and nitrogen stocks, and soil chemical properties in the Brazilian Cerrado. Environments with different light availability in the plots (SPS 55-60, SPS 50-55, SPS […]

ABSTRACT In the Cerrado, the palm swamps ( veredas ) are characterized by being humid and stable environments that lead to the formation of Histosols ( Organossolos ). and soils with surface horizons of organic constitution, which are fragile and sensitive to anthropic action. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of anthropization (recurrent forest fires and livestock farming) on the chemical, physical and morphological properties of soils in two palm swamps in the Environmental Preservation Area (EPA) of Pandeiros […]

ABSTRACT The implementation of conservationist systems that improve soil properties and reduce the impacts of the conversion of native areas is fundamental for feasible agricultural exploitation. This study aimed to evaluate the impact on soil biological properties caused by the conversion of murundus fields into agricultural systems and verify the ability of the no-tillage conservation system to recover these properties over the years. Treatments consisted of three agricultural areas subjected to the same management (no-tillage), in a chronosequence (7, 11, […]

To achieve high wheat yield, correct management of N fertilization and the use of high yield potential cultivars are necessary. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of different application rates and sources of N, applied totally at sowing or in topdressing, on grain yield and yield components of two irrigated wheat cultivars under a no-till system, grown in a Cerrado (Brazilian tropical savanna) region of low altitude. A randomized block design was used in a 5 […]

Soils of the tropics are prone to a decrease in quality after conversion from native forest (FO) to a conventional tillage system (CT). However, the adoption of no-tillage (NT) and complex crop rotations may improve soil structural quality. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the physical properties of an Oxisol under FO, CT, and three summer crop sequences in NT: continuous corn (NTcc), continuous soybean (NTcs), and a soybean/corn rotation (NTscr). Both NT and CT decreased soil […]

The no-till system with complex cropping sequences may improve the structural quality and carbon (C) sequestration in soils of the tropics. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of cropping sequences after eight years under the no-till system on the physical properties and C sequestration in an Oxisol in the municipality of Jaboticabal, Sao Paulo, Brazil. A randomized split-block design with three replications was used. The treatments were combinations of three summer cropping sequences – corn/corn […]

The use of cover crops has been suggested as an effective method to maintain and/or increase the organic matter content, while maintaining and/or enhancing the soil physical, chemical and biological properties. The fertility of Cerrado soils is low and, consequently, phosphorus levels as well. Phosphorus is required at every metabolic stage of the plant, as it plays a role in the processes of protein and energy synthesis and influences the photosynthetic process. This study evaluated the influence of cover crops […]

Knowledge on As and Cd levels in soils is important to monitor the entry of these elements into the food chain from anthropogenic sources. The purpose of this study was to determine the natural content of As and Cd in representative soils of the Cerrado region, Brazil. Soil samples were collected from three sub-regions: G (eastern Goiás), T (Triângulo Mineiro) and N (northeastern MG). To determine the soil levels of As and Cd, samples were digested by acid attack in […]

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 […]

Cropping systems and management of phosphate fertilization affect P availability in the soil, its accessibility for plants and finally, crop yields. This calls for an evaluation of P distribution in the soil profile, in long-term experiments, to understand the impact of each cropping system and fertilization management on this process. An area of Embrapa Cerrados, in Planaltina – DF, in an Oxisol, with very low P content at the beginning of the experiment, was cultivated for 14 years with soybean […]