Citrus rootstocks have a strong influence on shoot mineral nutrition and consequently on the adaptation of citrus trees to adverse soil conditions. Since citrus yield is often limited by low P availability, a greenhouse study was carried out to evaluate the effects of P application in the nutrient solution (0.0125; 0.05; 0.2 and 0.8 mmol L-1) on growth and P nutrition of the citrus rootstocks varieties (‘Rangpur’ lime, ‘Swingle’ citrumelo, ‘Cleopatra’ and ‘Sunki’ mandarin). After 100 days of P treatments, […]

The effects of humic substances on soil properties are known. However, little is known about the effects of these materials on plants. Depending on the concentration and chemical nature of the humic molecules applied, the effect may be expressed by an expansion of the root system, increase of nutrient absorption and increased crop growth. To evaluate the effects of C-humic acid concentrations on nutrition and growth of eucalyptus seedlings, a greenhouse experiment was carried out in nutrient solution. The treatments […]

Soil compaction is a limiting factor to increase yields and to develop long-term no-till, especially in clayey soils. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of compaction levels on soil bulk density, porosity and penetration resistance, as well as the consequences on root growth, leaf area index and yield of common bean and wheat in crop succession. The treatments were: NT – continuous no-till for six years; NTc – NT with additional compaction; Chi – chisel plow […]

Maize root growth is negatively affected by compacted layers in the surface (e.g. agricultural traffic) and subsoil layers (e.g. claypans). Both kinds of soil mechanical impedances often coexist in maize fields, but the combined effects on root growth have seldom been studied. Soil physical properties and maize root abundance were determined in three different soils of the Rolling Pampa of Argentina, in conventionally-tilled (CT) and zero-tilled (ZT) fields cultivated with maize. In the soil with a light Bt horizon (loamy […]

Root growth and crop yield can be affected by chemical modifications of the soil profile owing to lime and gypsum applications. A field trial was carried out on a dystrophic Clay Rhodic Hapludox in Ponta Grossa, Paraná State, Brazil, aiming to evaluate the changes in the chemical soil properties and corn response to lime and gypsum applications at the installation of a no-tillage system. A randomized complete block design was used, with three replications, in a split-plot experiment. The main […]

Traffic of heavy machinery during forest harvesting causes soil compaction and alters the nutrient availability for plants, affects root growth, and the mass flow and diffusion processes, thus representing a problem for forest management. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of soil compaction and potassium application on growth and K nutrition of Eucalyptus camaldulensis. The study was carried out in pots under greenhouse conditions, using a completely randomized design with treatments in a 3 x 4 […]

A soybean trial using a sample of Dark-Red distrophic medium texture Latosol was carried out under greenhouse conditions at the Escola Superior de Agricultura ‘Luiz de Queiroz’ in Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil, from December 1993 to July 1994, to evalvate the effects of subsurface compaction and the application of gypsum on nitrogen and phosphorus levels of soybean shoots. A scheme in a bloc randonized desdign, with treatments arranged in a 4 x 4 factorial, with four replications, corresponding to the soil surface […]