ABSTRACT Soils polluted by potentially toxic elements (PTEs) pose a high risk to human health and must be remediated. Applying biochar to such soils can reduce metal bioavailability and phytotoxicity, improving phytoremediation techniques. This study aimed to assess the effects of rice straw biochar (RSB) on mitigating metal stress and accumulation of Si, Cd, Pb, and Zn in corn plants grown in soil contaminated by metallurgy slag. Soil in pots was amended with RSB rates equivalent to 0, 5, 10, […]

Lime application recommendations for amendment of soil acidity in sugarcane were developed with a burnt cane harvesting system in mind. Sugarcane is now harvested in most areas without burning, and lime application for amendment of soil acidity in this system in which the sugarcane crop residue remains on the ground has been carried out without a scientific basis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in soil acidity and stalk and sugar yield with different rates of […]

Silicon (Si) is beneficial to plants in several aspects, but there are doubts about the effectiveness of leaf application. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the effects of Si, applied in a newly developed stabilized silicic acid form to the leaf, on nutrition and yield of irrigated white oat and wheat. Two experiments were performed (one per crop) in winter 2008, in Botucatu-SP, Brazil. A completely randomized block design with 14 replications was used. Treatments consisted of a […]

Several studies have confirmed the benefits of silicon (Si) for crop growth. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of Si on the initial growth of coffee plants cv. Catuaí Vermelho. This study was carried out with potted plants grown in a greenhouse, without water deficiency. Dry matter partitioning of roots, stems and leaves as well as the chemical composition of plant tissues and soil and leaf gas exchange were evaluated in plants treated with 0 (control), […]

Ca and Mg silicate application can ameliorate soil acidity and increase Ca, Mg, P, and Si availability to plants. Although Si is not an essential nutrient, its application is beneficial for plant growth and development, mainly under stress conditions. This study aimed to evaluate potato nutrition, yield and quality of tuber in a soil amended with limestone and silicate, under two soil moisture conditions. The treatments consisted of dolomitic limestone or Ca and Mg silicate application, at rates calculated to […]

Basic slag consists of calcium silicate and is an alternative for soil acidity correction. This study evaluated the residual effects of calcium silicate application on the chemical properties of a Rhodic Hapludox in a rotation system with Brachiaria grass under different grazing intensities. The experiment was a complete randomized block design, where the plots consisted of grazing intensities, determined by the forage supply of 50, 100, 150 and 200 kg t-1 of MS/ PV, respectively, and the subplots of surface […]

The content and shap of clay minerals are important in the definition of soil structure morphology. To evaluate the clay mineralogy and chemical properties of different aggregate size-classes of Latosols (Red-Yellow – LBd and Dusky Red – LVdf) derived from basalt in the state of Paraná, Brazil, soil samples of the Bw1 and Bw2 horizons were collected in four LBd and three LVdf profiles, distributed across two distinct toposequences. Dried and undisturbed soil samples were separated into six size-classes (2-4; […]

The genesis of cohesive horizons in some soils is not well known yet and, in many cases, it is conflicting. The purpose of this study was to evaluate physical, chemical and mineralogical mechanisms that cause hardening in soils with cohesive horizons, fragipan and duripan in Brazilian Coastal Plain soils. Soil samples of two toposequences were sampled and the taxonomic classes of the soils were identified as Argisolic Eutrophic Red Latosol, Latosolic Dystrophic Yellow Argisol for the first toposequence, and Abruptic […]

Soil acidity is one of the chief factors of constraint on agricultural production. Lime is the most used corrective, but, apart from the incorporation layer, of slow mobility and slow correction in the soil profile. Other products have been tested for acidity correction such as silicates or the reduction of acidity effects in deeper soil layers with gypsum. This study compared the effect of lime, gypsum and silicates to supply calcium, magnesium, silicate and to correct soil pH in deeper […]

Two Oxisol (Red-Yellow Latosol LBw and Dusky Red Latosol LVdf) toposequences in Paraná State, Brazil, were evaluated regarding the effect of different relief positions and parent material on mineralogical characteristics of the soil clay fraction. The clay fraction was investigated by X-ray diffraction, differential thermal analysis, thermogravimetry, and chemical analysis. Total Si, Al and Fe contents were determined after clay sample digestion with a 3:1 mixture of 36% HCl and 68% HNO3 acids. The Fe and Al contents were determined […]