The high organic matter content in sewage sludge is one of the reasons for its utilization as soil amendment. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of consecutive sewage sludge applications on the amounts of carbon, total and mineral nitrogen, pH, and bulk density in a Latossol. Two soil layers (0-0,1 and 0,2-0,4 m) were evaluated after three corn cultivations in Jaguariúna (São Paulo State, Brazil), between 1999 and 2001. The treatments consisted of three consecutive applications of two sewage […]

Despite the efficiency of no-tillage in improving soil and water conservation, the machinery traffic and absence of soil tillage can lead to surface compaction in clayey soils. The Least Limiting Water Range (LLWR) expresses the effects of management systems on the improvement or degradation of soil physical quality. The objective of this study was to quantify LLWR to discriminate the effects of management systems under no-tillage on soil physical quality. The treatments were crop succession under no-tillage, crop rotation under […]

For the timber exploitation of forest stands, transport machines pass several times along the same track and this operation can cause soil compaction. This paper aimed to evaluate the soil compaction level as related to the number of passes of a forwarder and weight of the timber load. The study was carried out in Santana do Paraíso country, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, in a six year-old eucalypt stand with 3 x 2 m spacing on an caulinitic Oxisol. The trees […]

The objective of this report was to verify the form of vertical and horizontal spatialization of chemical, physical and water quality indicators of a Typic Haplortox cultivated with citrus. The ‘Valencia’ orange grove on ‘Rangpur’ lime was planted in 1995, in the county of Alto Paraná, northwestern Paraná, Brazil. In August 2002, undisturbed and disturbed samples were collected for chemical, physical and water analysis. Twenty-four transects were sampled perpendicular to the tree trunk, in two layers (0-0.20 and 0.20-0.40 m depth) […]

Eucalypt root growth and yield are affected directly by soil compaction during forestry operations, particularly harvesting. These effects are intensified under high soil moisture conditions. An experiment was carried out under controlled conditions in order to evaluate the effects of compaction under increased soil moisture levels, on seedling growth and nutrition. An oxidic-gibbsitic Red Yellow Latosol (LVA) and a kaolinitic Yellow Latosol (LA) were used. The treatments consisted of five compaction pressure levels (0, 60, 120, 180, and 240 kPa) and […]

The cultivation of cover crops with vigorous root systems in crop rotation can improve the physical quality of compacted soils. The objective of this study was to evaluate shoot and root growth of soybean (Glycine max) and five species used as summer cover crops (Cajanus cajan, Cajanus cajan var. small, Mucuna aterrima, Dolichos lab lab and Crotalaria juncea) in a soil submitted to three different levels of subsurface compaction. Plants were grown in pots assembled with three PVC rings, 50 […]

The physical characterization of two typical Coastal Tableland soils (Yellow Latosol-YL and Gray Argisol-GL) of the State of Bahia, Brazil, was carried out in 2001 and the citrus root system in such soils was evaluated in order to determine attributes that best identify the cohesive layer. The first four horizons in each soil were sampled for analysis of particle size distribution, soil bulk density, total porosity, macroporosity, microporosity, and saturated hydraulic conductivity. Soil resistance to penetration and critical humidity of […]

Soil tillage systems and the crop residue management are essential for the sustainability of cassava production in sandy and sandy loam soils of Northwestern Paraná State, Southern Brazil. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different tillage systems used for planting cassava: no-tillage (NT), minimum tillage using chiseling (MT) and conventional tillage with moldboard plow and disking (CT) on some physical properties of a dystrophic Red Latosol. The following soil physical properties were evaluated in the […]

In the clay and heavy clay soils, compaction of the surface layer represents one of the limitations under no-tillage. Under such conditions, periodic soil tillage has been adopted. Other techniques, such as crop rotation are indicated for the physical management of the soil due to a larger input of organic matter and bioporosity of the soil. The objective of this study was to quantify some soil physical properties in an eutroferric Red Latosol (rhodic Eutrudox), the organic carbon content and […]

Ley forming modifier soil structure, which, in turn, effects soil physical characteristics in the upper layer. The objective of this study was to evaluate soil physical attributes and grain yield in a typical dystrophic Red Latosol (Typic Haplorthox) located in Passo Fundo county (RS), Brazil, after eight years of mixed production cultivation (1993 to 2000). The effects of production systems integrating grain production with winter annual and perennial pastures under no-tillage were assessed. Four mixed production systems were evaluated: system […]