Winter cover crops are sources of C and N in flooded rice production systems, but very little is known about the effect of crop residue management and quality on soil methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. This study was conducted in pots in a greenhouse to evaluate the influence of crop residue management (incorporated into the soil or left on the soil surface) and the type of cover-crop residues (ryegrass and serradella) on CH4 and N2O emissions from a […]

Common bean yield was analyzed in relation to some physical properties of a dystroferric Red Latosol (Typic Acrustox), in the 2006/07 growing season, in Selviria, state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. The no-tillage crop under center-pivot irrigation was cultivated with a high technological management level. The objective of this work was to select the most representative soil properties to explain the variability in agricultural productivity. A geostatistical grid was installed for soil and plant sampling at 117 points, in […]

Crop-livestock integration can affect soil physical properties, altering the yield and plant composition during the various no-tillage crop cycles. The objective of this study was to select the soil properties with the clearest relationship with yield and crude protein content of Brachiaria brizantha. Linear and spatial correlations were analyzed between dry matter yield and crude protein of Brachiaria brizantha and of some physical properties of a Dystroferric Red Latosol (Oxisol), in three layers (0-0.10; 0.10-0.20; 0.20-0.30 m). A geostatistical grid was […]

The increased availability of soil water is important for the management of non-irrigated orange orchards. The objective of this study was to evaluate the availability of soil water in a Haplorthox (Rhodic Ferralsol) under different tillage systems used for orchard plantation, mulch management and rootstocks in a “Pêra” orange orchard in northwest Paraná, Brazil. An experiment in a split-split-plot design was established in 2002, in an area cultivated with Brachiaria brizantha grass in which three tillage systems (no tillage, conventional […]

Soil roughness is influenced by soil management, particularly by soil tillage and mainly reduced by rainfall action. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of different systems of soil management and artificial rainfall application on soil surface roughness. The treatments were a result of the combination of three systems: no-tillage, conventional tillage and minimum tillage, with three levels of dry soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill): residue: 0; 2; and 4 Mg ha-1. Experimental units received artificial rain (seven rains), at […]

The understanding and quantification of soil use and management on the soil physical quality are important to develop and select sustainable agricultural systems. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the structural quality of a clayey Brazilian Oxisol under different production and soil tillage systems by measuring the tensile strength (TS) and to quantify aggregate friability (F). The study was conducted in Castro, Paraná state, in southern Brazil, using three production systems and seven soil tillage types, in a […]

Soil is the basis underlying the food production chain and it is fundamental to improve and conserve its productive capacity. Imbalanced exploitation can degrade agricultural areas physical, chemical and biologically. The objective of this study was to evaluate some soil physical properties and their relation with organic carbon contents of a Humic Dystrudept under conventional tillage (CT) and no-tillage (NT), for 12 years in rotation (r) and succession (s) cropping systems. The experiment was carried out in Lages, SC (latitude […]

Structural changes caused by management systems to soil can result in compaction and may change crop root development. With the aim to evaluate the effects of the farming systems on the soil structure by qualitative (cultural profile) and quantitative (soil density) methodologies, a field study was carried out in Maringá, state of Paraná, Brazil (23 º 29 ‘ S, 51 º 59 ‘ W). A conventional tillage system with crop succession of corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max) […]

Different management systems tend to modify soil structure and porosity over the years. The aim of this study was to study modifications in the morphostructure and porosity of dystroferric Red Latosol (Oxisol) under conventional tillage and no-tillage over a 31- year period. The study began with the description of soil profiles based on the cropping profile method, to identify the most compact structures, define sample collection points for physical and chemical analysis, and determine the water retention curve. A forest […]

With the development of agriculture, the use of new tools for the evaluation of the properties related to plant yields have become essential to improve the management of agricultural systems. The purpose of this study was to use a fuzzy model to investigate, based on soil chemical properties, the propagation of uncertainty of the acidity of a humic Red-Yellow Latosol (Oxisol) under Arabic coffee plantation. The soil was sampled at a depth of 0 – 0.2 m, in a grid, […]