To evaluate the effect of different soil tillage methods on heavy metal accumulation in soil and edible bean plants (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), a study was carried out in the county of Paty do Alferes, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, on a Red-Yellow Latosol with 30 % slope. On 22,0 x 4,0 m Wischmeier plots, the following methods were installed: conventional tillage: downhill furrows and burning of vegetal residues (PC); tillage along contour lines: contour plowing by animal traction with strips […]

The analysis of Brazilian commercial FTE fertilizers was the objective of this study, under application of routine laboratory methods used for the analysis of non-FTE fertilizers. Cd, Ni, and Pb contents were also determined. The methods proved to be adequate for the analysis of FTE fertilizers. This indicates that FTE fertilizers on the Brazilian market are not really FTE fertilizers; that is, they are not silicates founded with micronutrients. Uncontrolled contents of metal micronutrients in the products, as well as […]

In Brazil, Bradyrhizobium inoculation has successfully replaced the use of N fertilizer on soybean [Glycine max (L) Merr.] crops. However, with the expansion of no-tillage cropping systems in the Cerrados region, the idea that it is necessary to use small N rates at the sowing to overcome problems related with N immobilization has become widespread, mainly when soybean is cultivated after a non-legume crop. In this study we examined soybean response to small rates of N fertilizer under no-tillage (NT) […]

This study was conducted at the Experimental Station of the Faculdade de Engenharia (UNESP), Ilha Solteira County, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil, with the aim of evaluating chemical modifications in a Red Latosol under cerrado, subjected to different use and management systems. A completely randomized design with six treatments and 10 replications was used. The treatments of use and management were: no-tillage with annual crops, conventional system with annual crops, minimum tillage with annual crops, native vegetation (cerrado), pasture, […]

Soil organic matter from the surface horizon of two Brazilian soils (a Latosol and a Chernosol), in bulk samples (in situ SOM) and in HF-treated samples (SOM), was characterized by elemental analyses, diffuse reflectance (DRIFT) and transmission Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (T-FTIR). Humic acids (HA), fulvic acids (FA) and humin (HU) isolated from the SOM were characterized additionally by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-VIS). After sample oxidation and alkaline treatment, the DRIFT technique proved to be more informative for the detection of […]

The availability of S in soils can be understood by the interplay among the intensity factor, quantity factor and soil S buffering capacity. The quantity factor is the labile nutrient pool, defined as the quantity present in the soil solid phase, capable of dissolving into the soil solution during one growing cycle of a given annual crop. Aiming to develop a quantification method for labile S, three soils samples were incubated for 60 days after the following treatments: (a) non-disinfected […]

There are various methods for assessing data on infiltration rates, but it is important to know how these methods interact with soil properties. The objective of this paper was to analyze four methods for infiltration measurement in different soil types under a no tillage system. Field experiments were performed in Campinas, Campos Novos Paulista and Pindorama, in São Paulo State, on Eutrudox, Hapludox and Hapladult soils, respectively. Infiltration rates were measured from September to November 2000, by the evaluation methods: […]

Lime application on the soil surface in no-tillage systems, without incorporation, has not been effective in certain edaphic and climatic conditions for the correction of acidity or for calcium and magnesium supply to plants. Searching alternatives for limestone application without the conventional tilling and harrowing operations, this study tried to evaluate the efficiency of different lime application forms for the chemical soil attributes, nutritional state, and agronomic characteristics of corn crop. A randomized block design with split-plots and three replications […]

Erosion is deleterious because it reduces the soil’s productivity capacity for growing crops and causes sedimentation and water pollution problems. Surface and buried crop residue, as well as live and dead plant roots, play an important role in erosion control. An efficient way to assess the effectiveness of such materials in erosion reduction is by means of decomposition constants as used within the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation – RUSLE’s prior-land-use subfactor – PLU. This was investigated using simulated rainfall […]

The wetland soils in the state of Rio Grande do Sul present wide variation in their morphological, physical, chemical and mineralogical characteristics due to the heterogeneity of the parent material and different degrees of hydromorphism. Since their main uses for flooded rice and cattle breeding are frequently low-profit activities, the introduction of dry land crop species in rotation and/or succession with flooded rice has been called for. By broadening the spectrum of wetland soil use, a better weed control for […]