ABSTRACT The removal of thick layers of soil under native scrubland (Cerrado) on the right bank of the Paraná River in Selvíria (State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil) for construction of the Ilha Solteira Hydroelectric Power Plant caused environmental damage, affecting the revegetation process of the stripped soil. Over the years, various kinds of land use and management systems have been tried, and the aim of this study was to assess the effects of these attempts to restore the […]

ABSTRACT The interaction of organic compounds with clay minerals can change the size of crystals. However, in soils this effect is still unclear because of limitations in separation of pure mineral phases for conducting dissolution experiments. In this study, the relationship between soil organic matter (SOM) and mean crystallite size (MCS) of clay minerals from surface and subsurface horizons of soils from a toposequence in Southern Brazil was evaluated. Soil C and N contents were determined and the nature of […]

ABSTRACT Heavy metals contained in electronic waste, if discarded improperly, can become bioavailable after vermicomposting, posing a risk to the environment. Small-scale vermicomposting experiments were carried out with printed circuit boards (PCBs) to investigate the migration of heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, and Sn) to the final compost, as well as the mobility and bioavailability of these metals. High total levels of Pb, Sn and Cu in samples of manure with electronic waste (MEW) and vegetables with electronic waste […]

ABSTRACT The expansion of eucalyptus plantations in southern Brazil, especially over regions with natural grasslands, which occurred in the last decade potentially changes total organic carbon and nitrogen in soil. The aim of this study was to test the Century model 4.5 in the simulation of changes in inventories of TOC and TN in the surface layer (0.0-0.2 m) soil in Eucalyptus sp. com different ages in three municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. Areas adjacent to grasslands […]

ABSTRACT The agricultural use of sewage sludge and derivatives is to be carried out according to requirements established by Brazilian federal legislation and by legislation of the State of São Paulo, which requires that these organic materials must have at least 30 % of the total organic carbon degraded when incorporated in agricultural soils. To observe the degradation rates of sewage sludge and of organic compost produced from the same sewage sludge mixed with ground material from tree pruning, we […]

ABSTRACT Humic acids (HA) are a component of humic substances (HS), which are found in nearly all soils, sediments, and waters. They play a key role in many, if not most, chemical and physical properties in their environment. Despite the importance of HA, their high complexity makes them a poorly understood system. Therefore, understanding the physicochemical properties and interactions of HA is crucial for determining their fundamental role and obtaining structural details. Cationic surfactants are known to interact electrostatically and […]

ABSTRACT The disposal of large amounts of coal mining waste chemically modifies the soil, and this may change the structure and activity of soil fauna. The objective of this investigation was to study the ecotoxicological effects of depositions of pyritic waste (coal plus pyrite) in two soils collected in Santa Catarina, Argissolo Vermelho-Amarelo (Ultisol) e Nitossolo Háplico (Hapludox), at the application rates of 0, 2.5, 5, 10, and 20 % of that residue. Survival and reproduction of Enchytraeus crypticus and […]

ABSTRACT Conversions of plant cover resulting from management practices may alter carbon storage and the natural abundance of 13C. The aim of this study was to evaluate C stocks and natural abundance of C (δ13C) in areas of forest (F) and pasture (P) sequences with different times of usage in an Atlantic Forest area, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Seven usage sequences of forest (F) and pasture (P) were defined through aerial photographs taken in 1957, 1978, and 2008; through interviews with […]

ABSTRACT High contents of plant-available selenium in the soil in the form of selenate, resulting from natural or anthropogenic action, jeopardizes agricultural areas and requires research for solutions to establish or re-establish agricultural or livestock operation, avoiding the risk of poisoning of plants, animals and humans. The purpose was to evaluate sulfur sources in the form of sulfate, e.g., ammonium sulfate, calcium sulfate, ferric sulfate, in the remediation of tropical soils anthropogenically contaminated with Se under the tropical forage grass […]

ABSTRACT Knowledge of the responses of bean plants as a function of N fertilization or seed inoculation with rhizobia can direct crops to different market niches in different technological levels. The roots nodulation and the yield grains of 10 bean cultivars on nitrogen fertilization and seed inoculation with Rhizobium freirei were evaluated aiming to identify, in terms of grain yield, the more efficient and responsive to nitrogen fertilization, as well to symbiotic N fixation in relation to N fertilization. Two […]