In the Amazon region, pastures provide a satisfactory grass yield in the first years. Over time, overgrazing by livestock, the lack of pasture maintenance and choice of regionally unsuitable forage species can lead to soil degradation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different soil management systems on some soil physical properties of a Red-Yellow Oxisol (LVA) under degraded pasture, in the State of Rondônia (RO). The soil management systems were T = control; G = […]

Rainfall erosivity is one of the main factors related to water erosion in the tropics. This work focused on relating soil loss from a typic dystrophic Tb Haplic Cambisol (CXbd) and a typic dystrophic Red Latosol (LVdf) to different patterns of natural erosive rainfall. The experimental plots of approximately 26 m2 (3 x 8.67 m) consisted of a CXbd area with a 0.15 m m-1 slope and a LVdf area with 0.12 m m-1 slope, both delimited by galvanized plates. […]

Much of the organic matter of a typical peat consists of humic substances, mainly formed via humification of organic residues, decomposed by soil microorganisms, and by the polymerization of organic compounds to functional macromolecules, which are normally more resistant to degradation. The fundamental pathways governing the humification of soil organic matter (SOM) are not well understood so far, and most available data about the identified chemical precursors of humic substances and the main chemical routes by which they are transformed […]

To model the water flow and solute transport in soils, hydrodynamic and hydrodispersive parameters are required as input data in the mathematical models. The axisymmetric infiltration experiment using a single-ring infiltrometer with a conservative tracer (KCl) is a simple and efficient method for the determination of these parameters in the field. The objective of this study was to characterize hydrodynamic and hydrodispersive parameters of some soils in a marshy region, in Areia-PB, in the field, based on single-ring infiltration tests. […]

Successive applications of pig slurry to soils under no-tillage can increase the nutrient levels in the uppermost soil layers and part of the nutrients may be transferred to deeper layers. The objective was to evaluate the distribution of nutrients in the profile of a soil after 19 pig slurry applications under no-tillage for 93 months. The experiment was conducted from May 2000 to January 2008 in an experimental area of the Federal University of Santa Maria, southern Brazil, on a […]

The use of SMP pH to estimate the potential acidity (H + Al) is more practical than the method of 0.5 mol L-1 calcium acetate for routine laboratory analyses. The objective was to fit an equation to estimate the H + Al from SMP pH values of soils of the State of Pará. From various regions of the state, 177 soil samples were collected, in which the SMP pH was determined in 0.01 mol L-1 CaCl2 solution and H + […]

Soil infiltration is a key link of the natural water cycle process. Studies on soil permeability are conducive for water resources assessment and estimation, runoff regulation and management, soil erosion modeling, nonpoint and point source pollution of farmland, among other aspects. The unequal influence of rainfall duration, rainfall intensity, antecedent soil moisture, vegetation cover, vegetation type, and slope gradient on soil cumulative infiltration was studied under simulated rainfall and different underlying surfaces. We established a six factor-model of soil cumulative […]

The conversion of natural areas for agricultural use can degrade the soil structure and increase the occurrence of compression. This study aimed to evaluate changes in the physico-mechanical and hydro-physical properties of an Endoaqualf, caused by the conversion of a natural area into a rice field. Hydro-physical (density, porosity, macroporosity, microporosity, void ratio, and water retention) and mechanical properties (preconsolidation pressure, compression index, coefficient of decompression, and recovery rate) were evaluated in the horizons A1 (0.0-0.25 m), A2 (0.25-0.51 m), […]

Knowledge on As and Cd levels in soils is important to monitor the entry of these elements into the food chain from anthropogenic sources. The purpose of this study was to determine the natural content of As and Cd in representative soils of the Cerrado region, Brazil. Soil samples were collected from three sub-regions: G (eastern Goiás), T (Triângulo Mineiro) and N (northeastern MG). To determine the soil levels of As and Cd, samples were digested by acid attack in […]

The soils in the Serra da Bodoquena, a mountain chain in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, have peculiar features that differ from other regions of the Cerrado-Pantanal biome. This study aims to characterize soils formed on limestone, based on the physical, chemical and mineralogical properties and organic matter. A toposequence on limestone was selected and profile pits were opened on the summit (P1), backslope (P2), footslope (P3) and toeslope (P4 and P5). The profiles were morphologically described […]