ABSTRACT Growing off-season cover crops effectively enhances ecological diversity and improves nutrient cycling in agricultural systems, particularly when nutrient losses and low use efficiency are prominent. This study aimed to assess the interaction between different off-season cover crops and varying nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) application rates on common beans, soybeans, and corn yields, as well as on soil organic matter (SOM) and available P content (Mehlich-1) in a Cerrado loamy soil. The experiment was conducted as a strip-plot factorial […]

ABSTRACT Demand for phosphate fertilizers in Brazil, combined with its reliance on external sources, highlights the need to explore alternative phosphorous (P) sources for limed cultivated soils. This study aimed to characterize and evaluate the agronomic performance of phosphates from various sources, including national sedimentary (Arraias, Bonito, and Pratápolis) and igneous deposits (Catalão and Registro) imported sedimentary sources (Algeria, Bayovar, and Morocco), and residue-recovered sources (Bonechar and effluent recovered phosphate – ERCP). Phosphates underwent mineralogical and chemical characterization, including P […]

ABSTRACT Soils polluted by potentially toxic elements (PTEs) pose a high risk to human health and must be remediated. Applying biochar to such soils can reduce metal bioavailability and phytotoxicity, improving phytoremediation techniques. This study aimed to assess the effects of rice straw biochar (RSB) on mitigating metal stress and accumulation of Si, Cd, Pb, and Zn in corn plants grown in soil contaminated by metallurgy slag. Soil in pots was amended with RSB rates equivalent to 0, 5, 10, […]

ABSTRACT Wetlands provide important ecosystem services, including climate regulation through carbon sequestration and water storage. Identifying and protecting wetlands is a potentially significant opportunity for current global mitigation efforts. Cerrado wetlands commonly contain carbon-rich soils (peat); however, these environments have been neglected due to lack of knowledge on their characteristics and behaviors. Obtaining data in remote regions using a detailed sampling approach to characterize the organic carbon accumulation in these environments is extremely necessary. In this study, soil samples from […]

ABSTRACT Stress transfers inside the soil during the traveling process of agricultural machinery, and the bonding of soil particles during this process is the main cause of soil compaction. In this study, the discrete element method was used to simulate the different responses of stress transfer and particle bonding in the soil under different times of tire passes in the tire-soil interaction process of agricultural machinery operation. It was found that from 1 to 8 passes, the increase in the […]

ABSTRACT Land use changes profoundly impact the natural dynamics of soil phosphorus (P), potentially leading to decreased P concentrations. This study aimed to evaluate the different P fractions in soils from Paraguay Central Chaco under pristine and anthropogenic conditions. A randomized complete block design was utilized with two treatments (pristine and anthropogenic usage). Thirty-four composite soil samples were collected from the region at the layer of 0.00-0.20 m, followed by chemical fractionation of P into labile, moderately labile, and non-labile […]

ABSTRACT Cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale L.) is a fruit species widely cultivated in Brazil, but the interest in evaluating this plant nutritional status is very recent, to the point there is still no defined diagnostic leaf. This study aimed to define the leaves that reflect the nutritional status of dwarf cashews. Leaf samples were collected from a productive orchard established with four dwarf cashew clones: ‘CCP 76’, ‘BRS 189’, ‘BRS 226’, and ‘BRS 265’. Leaf sampling was performed over four […]

ABSTRACT Lime applications are used in acid soils to correct pH and eliminate Al3+ toxicity in crops. The lime rates are determined based on the estimated soil potential acidity (H+Al), using soil incubations with calcium carbonate (CaCO3) for 180 days, being a time-consuming and laborious process. An alternative method with calcium hydroxide [Ca(OH)2] for 96 h incubation may efficiently estimate H+Al, but it needs further studies. Also, soils from specific regions in southern Brazil have high organic matter (SOM) contents […]

ABSTRACT The absence of quantitative limits for the diagnostic attributes that define spodic B horizons in the Brazilian Soil Classification System (SiBCS) allows the inclusion of soils in the Espodossolos (the equivalent of Spodosols or Podzols) classes that contradict the classical concepts that define the podzolization process, by including horizons with low organic carbon (Corg) content, and with alkaline pH, high sum of bases and sodic or solodic characteristics. This study aimed to propose quantitative criteria and limits to identify […]

ABSTRACT Globally, soils with gypsic horizons cover approximately 1 million km², predominantly in arid climates. The formation of pedogenic gypsum in soils has been a topic of discussion in pedological studies for some time, with gypsification representing the process responsible for secondary gypsum accumulation. Even though international classification systems acknowledge the existence of gypsic horizons, there is a paucity of documented evidence concerning their occurrence in Brazilian soils. This study aimed to identify and describe a soil with secondary gypsum […]