The objective of this study was to study the effects of soil macrofauna on physical and chemical attributes and spectral reflectance of an Oxisol, Ultisol and Vertisol in Piracicaba (SP), Brazil. Along a topossequence, the soil aggregates produced by ants (Atta sp.), termites (Cornitermes cumulans) and earthworms (Pontoscolex corethrurus), were collected and compared with the control soil without recent visible animal activity. Soil chemical analysis and granulometry were carried out. The soil spectral behavior was determined in laboratory with a […]

The experiment was conducted under greenhouse conditions at the Soil Science Department of the Federal University of Lavras, Lavras, from August 1995 to June 1996. The objectives were to evaluate the application of limestone on several chemical properties and on the nutrition and production of common bean cultivated in samples of four lowland soils and to compare the doses established as appropriate according to base saturation and Al and Ca + Mg methods. A 6×4 factorial scheme in a completely […]

In the tropical soil environment, raindrop impact is capable of disrupting natural soil aggregation and porosity, thus influencing the amount of infiltrated water and its redistribution. Under such conditions, a vegetation cover of weeds cannot be viewed simply as a crop competitor. This research project was designed to examine, under field conditions, the changes of soil properties, namely soil water content, structure and sealing, resulting from different types of weed management, with the aim of contributing to the establishment of […]

Representative soil profiles from the Agroindustrial District of Jaíba in northern Minas Gerais State, Brazil, were morphologically described, sampled and chemically, physically and mineralogically analyzed, to obtain data which could contribute to their improved utilization. Although the parent material was almost the same (Bambuí group limestone), and the apparent physiographical homogeneity (flat relief and deciduous forest), the soils presented great morphological, chemical and mineralogical diversity. From a mineralogical standpoint, illite and kaolinite are common minerals, the latter found even in […]

Alternative methods to correct soil acidity are needed because farmers who adopted no-tillage no longer want to plow soils to incorporate lime. Two experiments were carried out during the years 1993-1996 under no-tillage to evaluate the response of soybean, wheat, corn, oat and barley to lime applied on the surface of soils with 380 g kg-1 clay (LEd-Haplorthox) and with 580 g kg-1 clay (LRd-Haplorthox). A completely randomized block design, with three replications and seven treatments, was used. The treatments […]

The determination of land degradation risk in a watershed is an important factor in environmental and agricultural land-use planning. The current trend is to analyze the necessary information for land evaluation in a less subjective way and compatible with geoprocessing techniques. However, criteria and parameters used to quantitatively evaluate the land degradation risk at the watershed scale and based on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) still need to be better defined. The objective of this study, conducted in the second semester […]

The rates and the application time of nitrogen (N) may influence the agronomic characteristics of irrigated wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and, consequently, grain yield. Two experiments were conducted at the Experimental Station of the Universidade Federal de Viçosa, located in Coimbra-MG, Brazil, during the years 1995 and 1996. The treatments consisted of a combination of four rates of N (30, 60, 90 and 120 kg ha-1), four rates of parceling (total rate at 20 days after emergence (DAE); ½ at […]

The effects of continuous sugarcane cropping on the properties of a clayey Yellow Latosol were studied in the region of the Low Coastal Tablelands of Alagoas State, Brazil. Four sites were selected at Caeté mill, São Miguel dos Campos, AL, involving a native forest (Tn) and sugarcane fields cultivated for periods of two (T2), eighteen (T18) and twenty-five (T25) years. The soils were morphologically characterized and undisturbed samples of the A, AB, and BA horizons of each profile were collected […]

The best measures of crop residue quality for soil protection against erosion are the percentage of soil cover and its persistence on the soil surface. These two variables, in turn, may be strongly affected by soil tillage. This study was carried out in Rio Grande do Sul State, Southern Brazil (30°06’S; 51°39’W). Crop residue mulch persistence was evaluated over a fallow period, following the harvest of a soybean crop. Three conservation tillage methods (chiseling, disking, and no-till) were used as […]

Aggregate size and the state of soil aggregation may be influenced by different soil management and cultural practices which lead to changes in soil organic matter content and biological activity. The objective of this study was to verify the relationship between organic carbon and the size and stability of soil aggregates in two planting systems (conventional and direct), three crop rotations (corn/wheat/corn, soybean/wheat/corn and soybean/wheat/soybean), under two soil sample preparation processes: use of 4 and 8 mm sieves before the […]