Since the 70s, spectroscopic techniques, especially those with infrared radiation (NIRS -Near Infrared Spectroscopy and DRIFTS – Diffuse Reflectance Fourier Transformed Spectroscopy) have been proposed for inorganic soil analysis, but only few methods found routine use in Brazil so far. This fact is probably due to the difficulty in building calibration models based on multivariate tools with real soil samples that have a complex composition that varies geographically and according to the management. The objective of this study was to […]

Swine manure (SM) applications to maize under no-tillage were tested in a 10-year field experiment to define the appropriate rates. The responses in yield and soil property to the treatments were evaluated: SM at rates of 0, 25, 50, 100 and 200 m3 ha-1; soluble fertilizer (SF); and SM plus soluble fertilizer (SM + SF), all annually spread on the soil surface. The soil pH was not affected by SM, but at rates > 100 m3 ha-1, the exchangeable Ca […]

The physical resilience of soil is the result of regenerative processes with cycles of wetting and drying, freezing and thawing, as well as of biological activities. This study tested the hypothesis that the physical properties of soil such as soil permeability, bulk density, aeration porosity, and total porosity are efficient physical indicators to quantify the resilience of soils with different textures exposed to mechanical stress (compression) and after subsequent wetting and drying cycles. The objective was to evaluate the behavior […]

Chiseling and winter cover crops have been adopted to improve the soil physical properties related to aeration. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of winter cover crops and chiseling on physical properties of a Typic Hapludox, clayey texture, after 16 years under no-tillage. The treatments were applied in May 2009, as follows: no-tillage (PD), no-tillage mechanically chiseled to a depth of 0.25 m (PD-E), and biologically aerated soil with no-tillage radish (PD-B). The experiment was arranged in a randomized […]

Soil characteristics such as total organic carbon (TOC), microbial biomass and enzymatic activity are influenced by many factors and have been suggested as suitable indicators of changes caused by different land use systems and soil management. The objective of this study was to evaluate the COT, microbial biomass and enzymatic activity of a typical Inceptisol in agricultural, forest and grassland areas in the Middle Valley of the Paraíba do Sul river (RJ). The systems evaluated were: annual agriculture (Agan); perennial […]

The use of cover crops in autumn/winter, in the Planalto region of Rio Grande do Sul, contributes to the success of the no-tillage system. However, information about the biomass production and decomposition of such species in the region is still scarce, especially for cover crop species in consortium. The experiment was conducted in Não-Me-Toque, RS, on an Oxisol, evaluating nine treatments of four cover crops in monoculture [rye (Secale cereale L.), oat (Avena strigosa Schreb), pea (Pisum sativum subsp. arvense), […]

The clay minerals goethite and hematite are iron oxides serving as indicators of the soil environment, with great influence on the soil physical and chemical properties. Knowledge of spatial patterns of these oxides can help understand the interrelationships of cause and effect with soil properties. In this sense, the quality of the spatial estimates can affect the results and consequently the interpretation of the spatial patterns. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of the geostatistical estimation methods by ordinary […]

The Restinga vegetation consists of a mosaic of plant communities, which are defined by the characteristics of the substrates, resulting from the type and age of the depositional processes. This mosaic complex of vegetation types comprises restinga forest in advanced (high restinga) and medium regeneration stages (low restinga), each with particular differentiating vegetation characteristics. The climate along the coast is tropical (Köppen). Of all ecosystems of the Atlantic Forest, Restinga is the most fragile and susceptible to anthropic disturbances. Plants […]

The use of a soil induces changes in the physical properties according to the management, tillage intensity and type of crop. The objective of this work was to measure the alterations of some of the soil physical properties and evaluate the physical quality by the S index, an indicator proposed by Dexter (2004), comparing the land uses: eucalyptus plantations at different ages, grazing pasture, annual crops, and an area of preserved secondary vegetation with an area of preserved native forest […]

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) can obtain sufficient N for its own supply from the atmosphere, by the process of biological nitrogen fixation (FBN), when associated with specific and effective rhizobia bacteria. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of different rhizobia inoculum rates on nodulation and biological N fixation by cowpea (cv. BRS Pujante). A complete randomized block design with seven treatments and four replicates was used. The trial was conducted in a greenhouse using 2 […]