The objective of this work was to study the spectral reflectance of a Brown Latosol (Haplohumox) and “Terra Bruna Estruturada” (Tropohumult) developed from volcanic acid rocks which occur in the center-south region of Paraná, Brazil. These soil samples were collected at depths of 0-20 and 40-60 cm. The characterization, discrimination and estimation of the soil attributes were studied by their reflected energy determined at the wavelength interval of 400 to 2.500 nm using an IRIS laboratory spectroradiometer. It was possible […]

Vegetative soil cover between citrus tree rows in sand soils originated from Caiuá sandstone geological formation in the northwest of the state of Parana, Brazil is a management practice required to protect soil from erosion. A field experiment was set up in 1993 in a citrus orchard with pear orange on rangpur lime rootstock located at Alto Paraná. Six types of soil management were evaluated in the 1995/1996 season and the following was determined: fruit yields (total weight and number), […]

The main purpose of this work was to evaluate differences in the superficial organic accumulation in soil with regard to some pedological parameters of a secondary forest (older than 40 years) submitted to anthropic intervention, i.e., harvest of economically important tree species. Thus, the present work compares two sites of the “Tabuleiro” Atlantic Forest in northern Espírito Santo: a primary forest, the “Mata Alta”, and a secondary forest, the “Capoeira de Extração”. The organic matter accumulation below the “Mata Alta” […]

The C and N mineralization potential of 20 soils from Pernambuco, Brazil (10 from the humid area and 10 from the semi-arid) was determined in a greenhouse experiment, conducted from January to October 1987. Samples of 50 g from 0-20 and 20-40 cm depth layers were incubated. The released C-CO2 and the accumulated mineral N (NO3– and NH4+) were periodically measured during 20 and 4 weeks, respectively. The mineralized amounts varied much among soils. In spite of this they were […]

Deactivation of saltworks in Cabo Frio, Rio de Janeiro, has been creating great amounts of organic residues originated from marine algae accumulation. Studies were carried out at the Soil Department of UFRRJ in 1996 to evaluate the potential for using such residues as organic fertilizers. Samples of the residue presented high contents of Ca, Mg, K, Na, S, and elevated values of bulk and real densities, water retention, pH and electrical conductivity; 89% of Na content was found in soluble […]

The objective of this work was to evaluate the efficiency of spectral reflectance in the detection of different erosion levels present in soils. Four soils, corresponding to a Red-Yellow Latosol (Oxisol), Latosolic Terra Roxa Estruturada (Ultisol), Cambisol (Inceptisol) and Vertisol, located in a toposequence in Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil, were evaluated for their chemical, physical and mineralogical attributes. The spectral reflectance was measured between 400 and 2,500 nm using an Infra Red Intelligent Spectroradiometer. Each soil was collected according to […]

Although widely reported, studies on chemical forms and concentrations of heavy metals in polluted soils and their effects upon ecosystems are still not much emphasized in the tropics. The present study was developed in a waste area of a zinc processing industry owned by the Companhia Mineira de Metais-CMM at Três Marias (MG), Brazil, to evaluate heavy metal quantities and forms in seven representative sites, selected according to differences in form of contamination, pedological aspects, topography and current vegetation status. […]

Different soil boron fractions were evaluated from 29 superficial (0-20 cm) soil samples in Ceará, Brazil. Relationships were established between soil fractions and soil properties and soluble boron, which has been used as an index of boron availability to the plants. Fractional boron analyses of the soils were carried out following a sequential procedure. The following determinations were carried out: the water soluble boron (B-Sol), the not specifically adsorbed boron (B-NEsAd), the boron associated to manganese oxide (B-OxMn), the boron […]

Carbon storage and its distribution in the profile of clayey Oxisols were studied to evaluate the role of the soil as a sink or source of atmospheric CO2 in the center of the cerrado region, Federal District, Brazil. Evaluations were carried out in six different management systems: a native cerrado type vegetation (CE), eucalypt reforestation (EU), introduced pasture (PA), heavy disk harrow tillage (GP), disk plow tillage (AD), no-tillage (PD), all of them having been established for more than twelve […]

High phosphate adsorption in oxidic tropical soils changes the charge balance on the surface of particles and can increase dispersion. Consequently, it can affect pore size distribution, aggregate stability and susceptibility to compaction. In order to measure the effect of phosphate sorption on compression curves and consistence limits, a Dark-Red Latosol (LE) (very fine, allitic, isothermic Typic Hapludox) and a Cambisol (C) (very fine, isothermic Oxic Distropept) were sampled at 0-3 and 27-30 cm depth, at Campos da Mantiqueira, Minas […]