Tillage and plant species that compose the soil management and crop rotation systems have a pronounced effect on soil physical quality, especially on aggregate stability. This study aimed to evaluate the degree of aggregate stability of a soil cultivated under reduced tillage (RT) and conventional tillage (CT) using distinct summer cover crops. Two experiments were carried out in Chapecó, State of Santa Catarina, Brazil on a Hapludox under RT (1993-1998) and CT (1994-1998). Five crop systems were evaluated in each […]

The influence of the salt content of two contrasting water sources (river and shallow well) on the hydraulic attributes of a clay loam Fluvic Inceptisol were tested. The experiment was carried out in 2000/2001 agricultural year on a 5,000 m2 plantation of Musa sp banana, cultivar pacovan. It consisted of a 2 x 3 factorial arrangement of two water sources and three irrigation levels (L1, L2 and L3), applied via microsprinkling. Results showed that the different irrigation levels and water quality did not […]

The shear tension and soil cohesion are important soil physical properties. They are affected by management systems and the content of Fe, Si and Al oxides in the soil. The effects of different sugarcane management systems on the shear tension, angle of internal friction, soil cohesion, and the contents of Fe, Si and Al oxides in a Cohesive Yellow Argisol were studied in four areas of the Triunfo mill in Alagoas State, Brazil. The treatments consisted of an area cultivated […]

Soil tillage and crop systems have significant influence on the soil structure, affecting water and air flow. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects the management has on the soil properties of a Hapludox cultivated with maize intercropped with summer cover crops. Two experiments were carried out in Chapecó, State of Santa Catarina, Brazil under reduced tillage (RT) from 1993 to 1998 and conventional tillage (CT) from 1994 to 1998. Three cropping systems were evaluated under each […]

Classic ethnoscientific techniques were adapted to describe and analyze the knowledge of peasant potters about soils they use for making pottery in a rural village in the Agreste region, State of Paraiba, northeastern Brazil. Five soil profiles from pits where local people obtain pottery clay were formally described by researchers (etic approach) and by peasant artisans (emic approach). Samples collected during both the emic and etic approaches were used for the morphological and analytical soil characterization. The peasant potters were […]

Unpaved roads are essential for the economic and social development in Brazil. Water erosion is one of the key factors causing their degradation. This study developed a new model of determination of spacing between water outlets in unpaved roads. The surface runoff hydrograph in the road channel was estimated using the cinematic wave model and the runoff shear stress was calculated using the flow rate obtained in the hydrograph. Detachment occurs when the flow shear stress exceeds the critical soil […]

The effect of density and fertilization on heart-of-palm yield of peach palm under field conditions was determined at Yuricam farm, in Rio Preto da Eva counnty, state of Amazonia, Brazil. The experiment was installed in a randomized complete block design. Treatments were arranged in a 3 x 5 factorial scheme with three replicates. Treatments were comprised of the planting density (10,000; 5,000 and 3,333 plants ha-1) and N, P2O5 and K2O doses (0-0-0; 112.5-12.5-90; 337.5-38-270; 225-90-180 and 225-25-180 kg ha-1). The results of the first year […]

Phosphorus is found in the soil in several forms that vary according to the chemical nature of the compounds and the bound energy. Therefore, methods for routine evaluation for the availability of P to plants should be able to extract the forms that sustain the plant uptake. This study evaluated the mode of action of Mehlich-1, Mehlich-3 and anion exchange resin (AER) methods by observing the modifications in soil P forms after three and thirteen successive extractions. Samples of a […]

Changes in soil mineralogical properties in humid subtropical regions due to potassic fertilizer practices are so far poorly understood. The main objective of this study was to compare the changes in soil minerals and the consequences on K+ release. Soil samples (depth of 0-10 cm) were collected over eleven years from areas with and without K fertilization and from a nearby natural grassy vegetation site on the Campus of the Federal University of Santa Maria. The K fertilizer treatments were 0 kg ha-1 year-1 […]

Twenty-nine isolates of the ectomycorrhiza fungus Pisolithus sp. from different geographical and host origins were tested for their ability to form ectomycorrhizae on Eucalyptus grandis and E. urophylla seedlings under greenhouse conditions. The ectomycorrhiza-forming capacity of isolates varied greatly from one eucalypt species to the other. All isolates from Eucalyptus, nine from Pinus spp. and two isolates from unknown hosts formed mycorrhizae with E. grandis and E. urophylla. Root colonization rates varied from 0 to 5.2 % for all Pinus isolates […]