ABSTRACT The relation between water content and water potential is a key soil hydraulic property. The presence of rock fragments in soils can affect this property in bulk soil. In this study, we focused on the relation property determined with a WP4 dew point potentiometer. The objective was to evaluate the hypothesis that breaking large gravel-size particles into smaller fragments is a suitable strategy for accurate WP4 measurements in coarse materials without affecting the retention properties. Ten initial samples of […]

ABSTRACT Continually rising scarcity in water and nutrient resources, especially in semi-arid agricultural systems, combined with increased frequency of extreme weather events such as drought, contribute to a growing need for resilient and regenerative agricultural ecosystems. However, evaluating a myriad of combinations of producer-led sustainable management practices in on-farm research remains challenging. Few studies have elucidated spatial variability in measured soil properties across the study area due to logistical and economic constraints. As such, this study aimed to: 1) establish […]

ABSTRACT Defining a suitable soil tillage option that provides adequate soil physical conditions for optimum cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) productivity has not been adequately researched in southern Brazil. This study aimed to evaluate, in an Argissolo Vermelho-Amarelo Distrófico (Acrisol or Hapludalf), three tillage methods – conventional (inverting) tillage, chiseling, and long-term no-tillage (without and with, additional soil compaction), as affecting soil hydro-physical properties and cassava yield, in southern Brazil. Undisturbed and disturbed soil samples were collected from row and interrow […]

ABSTRACT An important strategy for the sustainable management of Cerrado soils is no-till (NT) systems, which may improve soil properties, particularly aggregation. Soil aggregates can be categorized according to their formation pathways into physicogenic (Phy) and biogenic (Bio). This study aimed (i) to quantify the relative proportion of physicogenic and biogenic aggregates and (ii) evaluate the levels of total organic carbon and their respective humic and physical fractions in the aggregates’ formation pathways. The following managed and unmanaged sites were […]

ABSTRACT The teacher’s formative process is developed by a critical reflective response to the paths of life, the profession, and its practices. The teacher’s formative process analysis should consider the process’s objectives (theoretical, practical, and emancipatory), and the dimensions that make up the teacher (person, practices, and profession). As a result, this study aims to introduce the elements that outline the categories stemming from the relationship matrix between the objectives and the dimensions, and use them to analyze a formative […]

ABSTRACT Soils with andic properties are characterized by a low apparent density, variable charges, large amounts of allophanes, imogolite, ferrihydrite, and/or organo-metallic complexes with Al, and present high phosphate retention. Soils derived from non-pyroclastic materials rich in silicates, formed under a cold and humid climate, a large amount of organic carbon, acid weathering, andic properties can manifest when a large amount of Al is present in the form of organo-metallic complexes. This study aimed to evaluate the characteristics and geographical […]

ABSTRACT The phosphorus (P) rates recommended for corrective fertilization-P of soils from southern Brazil may be insufficient to reach the critical level for optimal plant growth. This study aimed to quantify the fertilizer-P rates for total correction fertilization with varying soil buffering capacity in the states of Rio Grande do Sul (RS) and Santa Catarina (SC). Soil samples from 0.00-0.10 and 0.10-0.20 m layers were collected from 41 locations distributed in both states. Twelve P rates were applied to each […]

ABSTRACT Soil chemical and physical analyses are the major sources of data for agriculture. However, traditional soil analyses are time-consuming, not cost-efficient, and not environmentally friendly. An alternative to traditional soil analyses is soil spectroscopy. This technique is a low-cost and quick analytical method, which can be implemented in a laboratory and/or in-situ. Nevertheless, some spectrometers are expensive and do not contemplate the entire spectrum. Despite this limitation, the main objective of the study was to create a soil spectral […]

ABSTRACT There is a growing demand for more detailed knowledge about soils, their functions, and connections with human activities and environmental services. In Brazil, where soil survey and mapping have been scarce since the 1990s, there is a remarkable sense of urgency. Recently, a national soil program was created (PronaSolos) to attend to the massive demand for soil information. PronaSolos is an effort to return to the systematic soil mapping of the national territory, which requires many pedologists who master […]

ABSTRACT Evidence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal colonization of mat litter in various ecosystems plus previous reports of external mycelium of those fungi and mycorrhizal roots in litter from coffee plants and shade trees on coffee plantations suggest that they have a relationship with closed direct nutrient cycling between organic matter and living roots. This relationship was first proposed more than 50 years ago. Mycorrhizal symbiosis in tropical crops is affected by agricultural management practices. This study aimed to assess the […]