ABSTRACT The optimal soil pH for most annual crops in Brazil varies between 5.7 and 6.0. Numerous methods have been developed for estimating lime requirement (LR), but they vary widely in their predictions and fail to raise pH to desired values for optimum crop production in the highly weathered soils of Brazil. The objectives of this study were to (i) compare seven traditional methods for estimating LR in Brazilian soils; (ii) assess the effects of LR predicted by these methods […]

ABSTRACT Brazilian soybean producers commonly apply maintenance potassium (K) fertilization during cultivation to restore the K taken up by plants; however, this measure can modify the morphophysiological plant characteristics, since the functions of K are closely related with plant growth and development. This study assessed the morphological changes in soybean plants in response to K rates, sowing fertilization, and the application periods of K fertilization in a Latossolo Vermelho eutroférrico (Oxisol) under a no-tillage system, located in the municipality of […]

Soil management influences the chemical and physical properties of soil. Chemical conditions have been thoroughly studied, while the role of soil physical conditions regarding crop yield has been neglected. This study aimed to analyze the wheat yield and its relationship with physical properties of an Oxisol under no-tillage (NT). The study was carried out between 2010 and 2011, in Reserva do Iguaçu, State of Paraná, Brazil, on the Campo Bonito farm, after 25 years of NT management. Based on harvest […]

In Brazil, plant-available micronutrients in the soil can be determined by several chemical extractants, the most common of which are dilute acid and chelating solutions. The purpose of this study was to assess the extractants 0.1 mol L-1 HCl, Mehlich-1, Mehlich-3 and DTPA for analysis of the micronutrients Cu, Zn, Fe, and Mn in soils from the state of Paraná. In samples from 12 soils (0-20 cm layer), wheat was planted (Triticum aestivum), grown for 42 days after emergence, and […]

Potassium (K) availability to plants is estimated based on the exchangeable K fraction. Multielement methods increase the analysis efficiency in soil laboratories. The cation exchange capacity (CEC) of soils may affect the prediction of available K. Thus, the purpose of this study was to estimate the available K for corn and soybean in soils in the Rio Grande do Sul (RS) state using Mehlich-1 (M1), Mehlich-3 (M3), ion-exchange resin (resin), ammonium acetate pH 7.0 (AcNH4), and verify whether the CTC affects […]

In Brazil, plant-available Zn in the soil is determined by several chemical procedures, of which the most commonly used are Mehlich-1 and DTPA. The objective of this study was to evaluate Zn availability in soils of Minas Gerais State, under different Zn and lime rates, using the extractors Mehlich-1, Mehlich-3 and DTPA and maize as indicator plant. Seven soil samples were incubated with lime to reach pH 6.0. The samples were treated with Zn in the form of ZnSO4, in […]

The study of the efficiency of multielement extractant solutions to assess the availability of soil nutrients for plants has increased recently. The use of these solutions increases the efficiency of soil analysis laboratories by simplifying analytical procedures. Furthermore, the determination of nutrients by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) has increased in recent years, owing mainly to simpler test procedures and less limitations in the detection of elements. Aiming at evaluating methods of extraction and verifying their efficiency to […]

The reliability of soil analysis depends on the correlation of nutrient concentration in the soil obtained by a given method with the plant nutrient uptake. The objective of this study was to evaluate the correlations between phosphorus content estimated by different methods and phosphorus quantity absorbed by rice plants in some flooded soils from Rio Grande do Sul state (RS), Brazil. Soil samples from 16 locations in RS, largely different in soil chemical and physical properties, were collected from the […]