Sugarcane is the main crop used in ethanol biofuel production in Brazil and it may be harvested with or without burning, increasing or decreasing greenhouse gases emissions and soil carbon deposition. In this study, we evaluated the effect of the sugarcane harvest system (with and without burning, at one, three, and six years after the last replanting) on C contents and C stocks in the soil, the physical quality of soil organic matter, and C immobilization in soil microbial biomass. […]

Water infiltration in the soil is an important hydrological process that occurs at the interface of the soil-atmosphere system; thus, the soil management practice used has a strong influence on this process. The aim of this study was to evaluate water infiltration in the soil and compare equations for estimating the water infiltration rate in an Ultisol after harvesting common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) under simulated rainfall. Field tests with a rainfall simulator were carried out in three soil management […]

Improvements in working conditions, sustainable production, and competitiveness have led to substantial changes in sugarcane harvesting systems. Such changes have altered a number of soil properties, including iron oxides and organic matter, as well as some chemical properties, such as the maximum P adsorption capacity of the soil. The aim of this study was to characterize the relationship between iron oxides and the quality of organic matter in sugarcane harvesting systems. For that purpose, two 1 ha plots in mechanically […]

The adoption of no-till in the humid subtropical region of Brazil based on only two precepts of conservation agriculture, soil disturbance restricted to the crop row and crop residue maintained as soil cover, has led to stratification of soil chemical properties in the 0-20 cm soil layer and physical degradation of the subsurface layer (from approximately the 5-20 cm depth), which may make for lower yields during short term droughts. The aim of this study was to evaluate the residual […]

The broad soil and ecosystem diversity of the state of Roraima is gradually being replaced by pasture and, depending on the management system adopted, this can be associated with soil physical degradation. Within this context, the aim of the present study was to evaluate and compare the soil physical attributes of an Argissolo Amarelo (Ultisol) under savanna and forest natural ecosystems, and their conversion into a cattle pasture system. The primary treatments were natural savanna (NS), savanna converted to pasture […]

Common bean grown in no-tillage (NT) systems has increased markedly in Brazil. Thus, to optimize the fertilizer recommendations, it is important to know the nutritional requirements of this crop when grown under new and established NT systems, which can change the nutrient availability and crop response to nitrogen (N) fertilization. The objective was to evaluate the extraction and exportation of nutrients by common bean as function of N fertilization on soil under new and established NT systems. The experiment was […]

The use of cover crops in vineyards is a conservation practice with the purpose of reducing soil erosion and improving the soil physical quality. The objective of this study was to evaluate cover crop species and management systems on soil physical properties and grape yield. The experiment was carried out in Bento Gonçalves, RS, Southern Brazil, on a Haplic Cambisol, in a vineyard established in 1989, using White and Rose Niagara grape (Vitis labrusca L.) in a horizontal, overhead trellis […]

Tillage systems are a key element of the technology of crop production, both with a view to crop yield and from the perspective of soil conservation and sustainability of the production system. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the effects of five tillage systems on the physical properties of a cohesive Yellow Argisol. The experiment was installed in the field on January 21, 2011 and lasted 260 days, in an area previously used as pasture with Brachiaria grass […]

Considering the importance of knowledge of the spatial distribution of soil properties, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the spatial variability of physical properties in a Cambisolunder different land uses in the southern Amazon region. The study was conducted on three farms with cassava, sugarcane, and agroforestry, in the region of Humaitá, in the south of the State of Amazonas. In these areas, 70 x 70 m grids were established, with a regular spacing of 10 x 10 […]

Soil management practices which increase the root depth penetration of citrus are important to the longevity and yield maintenance of this plant, especially in regions where long periods of drought are common, even in soil conventionally subsoiled to a depth of 30-40 cm, when the orchard was first established. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of subsoiling on the physical and hydric properties of a Typical Hapludult and fruit yield in a 14-year-old citrus orchard located […]