Using the compressibility test, the effect of soil management and moisture content on the preconsolidation pressure (σp) of three soils, a Red-Yellow Latosol (LV), a Dusk Red Latosol (LR) and a Dark-Red Latosol (LE) under annual crop, natural forest and pasture, was studied in the area of Lavras (MG) at two depths (0-0.03 and 0.27-0.30 m). For each condition, five undisturbed soil samples and a disturbed one were collected, with three replications. The undisturbed soil samples with different soil moisture […]

The Brazilian fertilizer legislation requires that the presence of micronutrients be guaranteed by their total amount. This makes possible to use different products as source of micronutrients for fertilizers, but their agronomic efficiency is still doubtful. The purpose of this work was to characterize the micronutrient solubility and availability of thirty commercial fertilizers through five extractors: water, 2% citric acid, neutral ammonium citrate (1 + 9), 0.005 mol L-1 DTPA and 0.005 mol L-1 EDTA solutions. The results showed low […]

Soil compaction is a common problem that affects several soil properties and plant growth. In order to assess the effects of soil strength expressed by its mechanical resistance on roots, a growth chamber experiment was conducted at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, in 1994, during 35 days (530 GDD, 0ºC base temperature) on a typical Paleudult soil. Treatments, using pots arranged in a completely randomized design, consisted of soil compactions that resulted in resistances of […]

The objective of this paper was to study the effect of eight soil tillage systems on the aggregation status of an Albaqualf at a depth of 0-10 cm using the following parameters: distribution of water stable aggregates in different size classes and mean weight diameter aggregates. The field experiment was carried out at the “Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária – Centro de Pesquisa Agropecuária de Clima Temperado” (EMBRAPA-CPACT) experimental station, in Pelotas (RS) in 1985. After ten years, the soil […]

Excessive alkalinity of fertigation waters can create a series of problems such as the blockage of water emitters, carbonate precipitation and the reduction of micronutrient availability for crops. A software, ALKA 1.0, was developed in CLIPPER 5.2, to help manage the alkalinity of those waters. The Program runs in computers IBM-PC/XT/AT/PENTIUM or other 100% compatible. It is initiated with the input of the actual irrigation water pH, its total alkalinity, and the irrigation sheet used during the crop cycle from […]

The impact of winter cover crops prior to no-tillage corn on aggregate stability was evaluated throughout the agricultural year of May 1991 – May 1992, in a Hapludalf (Red-Yellow Podzolic). The experiment was carried out at the Federal University of Santa Maria-RS, using the following winter cover crops as treatments: Lathyrus (Lathyrus sativus L.); Lupine (Lupinus angustifolius L.); hairy vetch (Vicia sativa L.); black oat (Avena strigosa Schieb) and winter bare soil. Water aggregate stability, organic carbon, microbial activity, soil […]

Fifty eight plots of 480 m2 (20 x 24 m) were established in stands of 5.5 year-old Eucalyptus grandis, growing in Rio Doce Valley – MG, Brazil, in order to study the relationship between growth and site characteristics. The topography of the area is hilly and the soil predominantly Oxisol, originated from granite-gnaiss parent material. A discriminant model with two linear functions was obtained and allowed to correctly classify 86.2% of the plots. The discriminant model obtained showed a holistic […]

The objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of potassium rates and water stress levels on the growth of maize (Zea mays, L.) plants. A pot (40 dm3) experiment was carried out using a “Terra Roxa Estruturada Latossólica”, an Alfisol intergrade to Oxisol, clayey loam soil, in Botucatu – São Paulo, Brazil, from December 1994 to February 1995. The experimental design was a randomized block with a (2 x 3 x 5) factorial distribution of the treatments. Two […]

The state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is characterized by three main geomorphologic formations, the landform constituted by crystalline rocks, exposed or covered by their alteration products; coastal tablelands, formed by Barreiras Formation Tertiary sediments; and alluvial floodplain sediments of Quaternary age. Differences between parent material and topography and their influence on soil genesis have been the main subject of studies in Rio de Janeiro. The objective of this study was to analyze the behavior of extractable forms of iron, […]

To test the performance of a numeric model in prediction of water content (θ) and tension (|ψm|) in time and space, data were chosen from the literature on two porous materials with different hydraulic properties: a marine sand (quatzipsamment) of Tottori, Japan and a sandy phase Red-Yellow Latosol (Haplustox) of Piracicaba, SP. The results led to the following conclusions: (a) in both porous materials studied, the behaviour of the model was highly significant, with the profiles of humidity aligning satisfactorily […]