The monitoring of soil quality based on physical properties is important for the evaluation and maintenance of the sustainability of agricultural systems. An indicator property of soil quality should be sensitive to management changes. This study aimed to evaluate the S parameter as an indicator of soil physical quality and aggregation of an Oxisol, managed for 11 years in systems with and without the inclusion of off-season cover crops. The treatments consisted of: conventional system (SC) and conservation systems with […]

Soil functions and quality are closely linked to soil structure. The effect of management practices on the recovery of the aggregation of a physically degraded soil was studied based on the distribution of water-stable aggregates and single particles (diameter classes 9.51-4.76, 4.76-2.00, 2.00-0.25, 0.25-0.053, < 0.053 mm) and carbon stock (C) in the surface layer (0-7.5 cm) of a Paleudult in the Central Depression region of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, under different management systems. The following […]

The effect of potting mix and phosphate fertilization on the production of rooted cocoa tree cuttings was evaluated and recommended rates and critical foliar P levels were determined based on a factorial 5 x 5 + 1 experiment: five potting medium (coconut fiber CF and Plantmax® mix), five P rates at planting (0 to 800 mg dm-3) and an additional P treatment (applied on the 30th day). Each plot contained 27 cuttings, of which 12 rooted cuttings were evaluated. From […]

Detailed studies on hydrology and sediment production are of great value to enhance the understanding and control of the water erosion process, with a view to more continuous and effective soil and water conservation practices. The purpose of this study was to develop specific (for each treatment replication) hydrograms (instantaneous runoff discharge versus time) and sedimentograms (instantaneous sediment concentrations in the runoff and instantaneous soil loss rates versus time), associated with water erosion in a soil under different crop sequences […]

Air permeability (Kα) can be used to assess soil structure changes resulting from different tillage systems. This study tested the hypothesis that the reduced soil disturbance in no-tillage results in continuous pores and better soil aeration conditions. The objective was to evaluate the aeration of a Rhodic Hapludox under conventional tillage (CT) and no-tillage (NT), based on soil air permeability (Kα), air-filled porosity (εa) and indices of pore continuity (K1 and N). Eighty undisturbed soil cores (2 treatments x 2 […]

In the Agreste region of Pernambuco state, Planosols are economically highly important, due to the degree of occupation, as well as the heavy use, mainly for agricultural activities. Aspects such as duality or reworking of parent material, which characterize the processes involved in the formation of the marked textural differences and of Na and salt concentrations, are important points to be clarified. This study aimed to evaluate the pedogenetic process of the Planosols in the region Agreste, state of Pernambuco, […]

Kinetics studies of heavy metal release are an important form of environmental diagnostics in contaminated areas, due to the possibility of determining, aside from the total release contents after increasing equilibrium times, the rate (velocity) of heavy metal to soil solution. The objective of this study was to determined Pb kinetics release from soils of the heavy metal mining and metallurgy area in Adrianópolis (PR), Brazil, in the Ribeira river valley. Eight soils were exposed to different contamination forms: (soils […]

The Proctor test is time-consuming and requires sampling of several kilograms of soil. Proctor test parameters were predicted in Mollisols, Entisols and Vertisols of the Pampean region of Argentina under different management systems. They were estimated from a minimum number of readily available soil properties (soil texture, total organic C) and management (training data set; n = 73). The results were used to generate a soil compaction susceptibility model, which was subsequently validated using a second group of independent data (test data […]

To analyze the process of degradation caused by natural or anthropogenic influences tools are required, preferentially low-cost, to indicate the degradation stages aiming the selection of techniques to reclaim degraded areas. The purpose of this study was to analyze the variability of microbiological and chemical soil properties as indicators of desertification processes in areas with increasing levels of degradation in the semiarid region of the State of Pernambuco, Brazil. Three environments were sampled: conserved, moderately degraded and heavily degraded in […]

Restinga is a term currently used for the vegetation on the poor and sandy soils of the coastal plains of Brazil. The soils of these environments have been poorly studied. The counties Cananéia, Ilha Comprida and Bertioga were selected for this research due to the representativeness of the environmental conditions of the state of São Paulo. In these environments 31 soil profiles were described and sampled, many of them in chronosequences. The samples were characterized chemically and analytical evidence converged […]