ABSTRACT Strategies to mitigate degradation and ensure food and water security are among the main challenges in agricultural development. Unconsolidated information about the positive impact of conservationist practices on productivity increase is fundamental for their adoption by farmers. This study evaluated if the saved rainfall excess in catchment with terrace generates higher soybean and corn yield due to greater water availability in the crop rooting zone. Experiments were conducted in southern Brazil during the agricultural years of 2016/17 (soybean) and […]

ABSTRACT Agricultural management significantly influences soil physical properties and soil erosion. However, there are few studies investigating the long-term effects of agricultural management on soil erosion and physical properties. Here, we assessed the impacts of 20-year agricultural land uses under different management practices on soil physical properties and interrill erosion. This study was conducted on an experimental farm of the Embrapa Western Agriculture, Brazil, and the treatments consisted of soybean cropping under conventional tillage (CT) and no-tillage (NT), crop-livestock integration […]

ABSTRACT Organic carbon introduced in soils, mainly through organic matter, has a relevant role in various soil properties and is particularly important in sandy soils. In these soils, the input of organic material is necessary to ensure the sustainability of production systems. This study aimed to investigate the changes in total organic carbon content and its effect on physical properties in areas under different harvest management systems (HMS) after the harvest of eucalyptus. The study was performed in December 2017 […]

ABSTRACT A good soil fertility management for soybean production must consider the amount of nutrients that are exported by seeds. In recent decades, soybean yield has increased due to better crop management and genetic improvements, which may affect the amount of nutrients removed. Therefore, this study aimed (i) to analyze the relationship between the concentration of macronutrients in soybean seeds in Brazil with soybean yield and genotypes, and (ii) to update nutrient concentration values in soybean seeds for fertilizer recommendation […]

ABSTRACT Finding the proper shaking setting to ensure total particle dispersion without altering the content of sand, silt and clay in soils composed of fragile particles such as saprolite fragments is still a research gap. This study aimed to identify the best shaking setting to optimize particle dispersion and minimize particle change in samples of Entisol (Neossolos). Samples were dispersed using an electric mixer at 12,000 rpm for 5, 15, 30 and 60 min, a horizontal shaker at 150 cycles […]

ABSTRACT Several management practices can increase soil water storage capacity, but their effectiveness to minimize the adverse effects of drought depends on their potential to increase the soil available water to plants. Terracing is an effective option to increase soil water storage, but its effect on available water to plants in no-tillage system is still a knowledge gap. In this study, we monitored soil water content at eight layers down to 1.6 m in two zero-order paired catchments for 16 […]

ABSTRACT Hydro-sedimentological models might be useful tools for investigating the effectiveness of soil and water conservation practices. However, evaluating the usefulness of such models requires that predictions are tested against observational data and that uncertainty from model parameterization is addressed. Here we aimed to evaluate the capacity of the SWAT model to simulate monthly streamflow and sediment load in the Posses creek catchment (12 km2), Southeast Brazil. The SUFI-2 algorithm from SWAT-CUP was applied for calibration, testing, uncertainty, and sensitivity […]

ABSTRACT Soil acidity is one of the main factors that reduces productivity in agricultural crops, and it is corrected with materials that neutralize acidification. Among soils affected by acidity are those of volcanic origin. At least 30 % of agricultural soils in Chile are of volcanic origin, and acidity correction practices must be constantly performed. This study aimed to evaluate the effectively of two materials that may neutralize soil acidification and increase yield production in Chilean volcanic soils. An experiment […]

ABSTRACT Brazil is currently the leading country in no-till (NT) farming, particularly on Ferralsols (Latossolos), the most abundant soil type. These soils are characterized by subsurface acidity that cannot be effectively corrected by surface application of additives. In this situation, the use of phosphogypsum can be advantageous. This study aimed to assess the residual effects of lime and phosphogypsum application on a clayey Ferralsol, and four soybean and two wheat yields in southern Brazil. The area has been cultivated under […]

Abstract Vertisols presenting kaolinite codominance or prevalence were already reported in several countries worldwide. However, the literature has few studies focused on investigating the influence of this clay mineral in soil geotechnical behavior. This study aimed to carry out the characterization of Vertisols in Bahia State, Brazil, to understand the influence of physical, chemical, and mineralogical properties on their geotechnical behavior, as these soils have high natural fertility and have been used for agricultural activity, but with great risk due […]