The quality of commercial crop residues and green manure influences the N mineralization-immobilization rate and the respective use by subsequent crops. With the objective of evaluating N utilization by corn of N from the shoot and root system of sunnhemp (Crotolaria juncea) and millet (Pennicetum americanum) and corn straw, labeled with 15N, a green house experiment was carried out at the Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA/USP), Piracicaba, S. Paulo, Brazil, in 5 kg pots with dystroferric Red Latosol […]

Soil organic matter is constituted by a vast array of compounds that include active and more stable fractions, with different cycling rates. Management practices affect organic carbon and nitrogen contents, organic matter quality, and soil aggregation. The present study aimed to characterize organic carbon and nitrogen in aggregates of a Dystrophic Red Latosol of Minas Gerais State, Brazil, in an area of native vegetation (Cerradão) and another one that has been for 30 years under conventional corn cultivation. Soil samples […]

The use of mineral fertilizers and legumes is the most important strategy used to supply nitrogen for cash crops. Since there is a risk of environmental pollution by nitrogen fertilization, it is very important to improve the approaches of nitrogen use recommendation to achieve sustainable agricultural practices. The organic matter content has been used as a parameter to estimate N availability, but in some cases it has been inefficient. In order to develop an equation to estimate N availability in […]