The recovery of intensively impacted areas, as originated by the construction of a hydroelectric power plant, is a slow process and usually requires the addition of organic residues as source of organic matter and nutrients to improve the soil properties. The objective of this study was to verify the effects of the addition of sewage sludge and organic residues (wood shavings and sugar cane filter cake) on the growth of two Cerrado tree species, used in the recovery of the […]

The C mineralization of pig manure and cereal straw is still relatively little studied in Brazil. The aim of this work was to evaluate C mineralization of oat straw, pig slurry and pig deep-litter, applied on the surface or incorporated in a Hapludalf soil, in laboratory conditions. The experiment was a completely randomized design with four replications of the following treatments: soil; soil + incorporated straw; soil + surface straw; soil + incorporated pig deep-litter; soil + surface pig deep-litter; […]

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the influence of three soil cover species Acacia auriculiformis, Mimosa caesalpiniifolia and Corymbia citriodora compared to pasture and natural secondary forest on soil chemical and microbial attributes. The field survival rate of the species reached over 70% and the development in height and diameter (DAP) was adequate. The survival rate of Mimosa caesalpiniifolia was the highest among the legume species, while the development of Acacia auriculiformis was the best, mainly between 27 […]

The amendment of agricultural and forest soils with biosolids from sewage treatment plants (STPs) is an alternative to recycle these organic residues. However, biosolids from STPs may contain metals and/or xenobiotics that can affect soil microorganisms. In this study, the impacts of biosolids from the STPs of Barueri and Franca (São Paulo, Brazil), containing high and low metal concentration, respectively, on the microbiota of a Nitisol (clayey) and a Dystric Arenosol (sandy) were determined in microcosm. Immediately after biosolids application […]

The agricultural use of biosolids has been stimulated, however, as the chemical composition of these residues is varied, the agronomic value and effects on soil quality characteristics need to be individually assessed in order to establish safety norms for their application. The present work evaluated biological characteristics after the application for two consecutive years of increasing doses (0, 6, 12, 18 and 24 t ha-1 dry matter) of biosolid generated by a PET fiber and resin industry. There was also […]

A considerable part of eucalypt plantations in Brazil grows on low-fertility soils for which fertilization techniques and nutrient cycling processes are important to elevate and maintain the forest production. The response of these plantations to nitrogen fertilization has been relatively low, indicating that the soil has been capable of supplying part of the plant demand. Microbial biomass N is considered a readily available fraction, but little is known about the biotic and abiotic factors that affect its dynamics in eucalypt […]

The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of the organic and nutritional quality on the activity and C and N contents of the microbial biomass in different structures of litter from a Mountain Atlantic Forest from around the Desengano State Park-RJ, Brazil. Litter samples were collected in September 1999. The litter structures were leaves, branches, and superficial roots; fine debris (F structure); and organic matter smaller than 2 mm (H structure). The nutritional and organic litter quality influenced the activity […]

Acidity is generally reduced in soils when organic matter is incorporated but the mechanisms of this alteration are still poorly understood. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between the kinetics of organic material degradation and acidity alterations. Samples taken from the 0-20 cm soil layer (Ustic Dystropepts) were incubated with five sources of organic matter: green manure (Canavalia ensiformis D.C), cattle manure, vinasse, sewage sludge and peat, at temperatures of 20 or 30 ºC. The experimental […]

Different sites of an iron mining from Mariana, Minas Gerais, Brazil, were evaluated for determining the degree of their degradation or reclamation, using microbial activity of soil, spore numbers of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and total count of fungi and bacteria. Each site contained a substrate characterized as flotation refuse (Rj), Soil without vegetation (SS), Subsoil (Ss), Subsoil with vegetation (SsV), site under recuperation (AR) and forest (MS), and was sampled at 10-25 cm. Establishment of grasses and “candeia” (Vanillosmopsis […]

Soil management systems, with different degrees of soil mobilization and different plant residue composition, alter soil biological properties, with consequences in soil quality and in plant productivity. In order to measure such alterations, soil microbial biomass and its activity were evaluated in a Paleudult soil, in the Central Depression of Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, conducted under different soil management systems, in a long-term experiment, for 12 years. Soil samples were collected in four different times, during 12 months, […]