ABSTRACT Greater nitrogen (N) cycling is sought through Integrated Crop-Livestock Systems (ICLS). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of early fertilization of nitrogen applied to ryegrass grazed by sheep on the nitrogen nutrition index (NNI) of summer crops in ICLS. This study was carried out in a long-term protocol managed in the winter under two stocking methods, continuous and rotational, and two grazing intensities, moderate and low, with four replications. In summer, the area was divided […]

The vast majority of studies done on direct application of rock phosphates in Brazil have been performed in soils with pH less than 5.5 and low exchangeable Ca content. Studies under soil conditions different from these are not only rare, but have not been carried out because these soils may be restrictive to dissolution of these sources, depending on the species grown and the geological nature of the phosphate applied. A completely randomized block split-plot experimental design was set up, […]

Efficient analytical methods for the quantification of plant-available Zn contained in mineral fertilizers and industrial by-products are fundamental for the control and marketing of these inputs. In this sense, there are some doubts on the part of the scientific community as well as of the fertilizer production sector, whether the extractor requested by the government (Normative Instruction No. 28, called 2nd extractor), which is citric acid 2 % (2 % CA) (Brasil, 2007b), is effective in predicting the plant availability […]

The N use by maize (Zea mays, L.) is affected by N-fertilizer levels. This study was conducted using a sandy-clay texture soil (Hapludox) to evaluate the efficiency of N use by maize in a crop succession, based on 15N-labeled ammonium sulfate (5.5 atom %) at different rates, and to assess the residual fertilizer effect in two no-tillage succession crops (signalgrass and corn). Two maize crops were evaluated, the first in the growing season 2006, the second in 2007, and brachiaria in […]

Studies on sewage sludge (SS) have confirmed the possibilities of using this waste as fertilizer and/or soil conditioner in crop production areas. Despite restrictions with regard to the levels of potentially toxic elements (PTE) and pathogens, it is believed that properly treated SS with low PTE levels, applied to soil at adequate rates, may improve the soil chemical and microbiological properties. This study consisted of a long-term field experiment conducted on a Typic Haplorthox (eutroferric Red Latosol) treated with SS […]

In the humid tropics the buildup and maintenance of soil fertility are major challenges in terms of sustainability of agroecosystems. The objective of this study was to evaluate an alley cropping system with pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) on an Alfisol, with annual application of lime and potassium, with special concern regarding the viability of this system as an alternative to slash and burn practiced in tropical agriculture. Pigeon pea and maize (Zea mays) were planted in the experiment with the […]

Presently, approximately 60 % of the grain crop area in Paraguay is under no-till (NT). With the expansion of NT in the country, some doubts were raised with respect to the obsoleteness of fertilizer recommendations, especially regarding phosphorus (P). The last P fertilizer recommendation had been established for conventional soil tillage system 15 years earlier. The main objective of this work was to update phosphate fertilizer recommendations for wheat, corn and soybean under NT. Seven different locations in eastern Paraguay were evaluated […]

The aim objective of this study was to quantify the soil water storage, plant-available water and extraction of soil water by corn plants under irrigation and terminal drought. Plants were cultivated under no-tillage and conventional tillage systems. Two experiments were conducted in the 1999/00 and 2000/01 growing season on an experimental field of the Agricultural Engineering Department of the Federal University of Santa Maria. Treatments consisted of a 2 x 2 factorial scheme, in a completely randomized design, with four […]

The timing of N application to maize is a key factor to be considered in no-till oat/maize sequential cropping. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of pre-planting, planting and sidedress N application on oat residue decomposition, on soil N immobilisation and remineralisation and on N uptake by maize plants in no-till oat/maize sequential cropping. Undisturbed soil cores of 10 and 20 cm diameter were collected from the 0-15 cm layer of a no-till Red Latossol, when the oat cover crop was […]

The critical potassium level for fertilizer recommendation for soils in the State of Rio Grande do Sul (RS) and Santa Catarina (SC) with CEC from 5.1 to 15 cmolc dm-3 is 60 mg dm-3. However, until 2002 concentrations of 80 mg dm-3 had been used. Two experiments were carried out on an experimental area of the Department of Soil Science of the Federal University of Santa Maria (RS-Brazil) on a Sandy Typic Hapludalf under no-tillage. The objective of the study was to evaluate critical potassium levels […]