ABSTRACT Current studies have highlighted a significant gender disparity in the field of soil science. However, the scarcity of research and data on this issue can hinder the urgent need to address it and effect meaningful changes. This was the first demographic survey of Brazilian soil science, focusing on gender composition over time at different academic and professional levels, as well as peer recognition. We examined the metrics of students and faculty from all Brazilian soil science graduate programs (2004-2021), […]

ABSTRACT Precision agriculture (PA) practices in banana production chains have received limited attention. Based on the literature, the investigation of spatial and temporal variability in banana orchards should be customized according to the characteristics of the crop. This study aimed to develop and evaluate methods for mapping the spatial variability in soil properties at row- and clump-resolutions in a banana orchard, and to generate row and clump maps with high-spatial-resolution soil property information. A banana orchard was investigated, and georeferenced […]

ABSTRACT Brazilian Soil Classification System (SiBCS) adopts a hierarchical approach to classify soils using specific diagnostic attributes. Organossolos (Histosols) class is differentiated according to its genesis, especially because the parent material is organic, thus requiring diagnostic attributes that describe the unique properties of soil organic matter (SOM). This study aimed to propose the use of labile organic carbon and the C and N contents of humic fractions and their ratios for the family and series levels of the Brazilian Soil […]

ABSTRACT Soil fertility evaluation is important for adopting conservation management and adequate nutrient supply. The objective of this study was to identify critical levels and soil fertility classes using the boundary line method for rainfed crops (corn, cowpea and sabiá [Mimosa caesalpiniifolia]) in the Brazilian semi-arid region. A database of 226 soil fertility analyses of samples from the 0.00-0.20 m soil layer, and corn, cowpea and sabiá yields from Ceará State was used to generate interpretation classes (at 80 and […]

ABSTRACT More information is needed on the potential of using drill cuttings (crushed rocks) from the oil industry in agriculture and forestry. An experiment in forest nursery was carried out to evaluate the influence of substrates formulated from onshore gravel on characteristics of Ipê-branco (Tabebuia roseoalba) seedlings (i.e., growth, quality, and nutrition). We used five gravimetric proportions of gravel from drill cuttings mixed with Pinus-bark – commercial substrate (Mecplant® Florestal 3): control with only commercial substrate and zero gravel (G0), […]

ABSTRACT Currently in Brazil, large grain cultivation projects on Plinthosols are a reality, however, there is little or no knowledge of the real mechanism of formation of the plinthite feature, in addition to what is reported in the literature as being a product of oxidation-reduction processes of iron element. This study evaluates iron redoximorphic features and investigates their chemical and mineralogical composition in two profiles of Plinthosols from the Araguaia River plain (P1 and P2). The study strengthens the understanding […]

ABSTRACT Potassium (K) vertical mobility in soils has often been overestimated and used as a rationale for recommending the broadcast application of this nutrient in fertility management programs, especially in soils with low cation exchange capacity (CEC). This study aimed to evaluate the vertical distribution of K in two land uses: areas with natural vegetation and crop fields managed under no-tillage (NT) fertilized with K. For this purpose, 49 soil profiles from the Brazilian subtropical state of Rio Grande do […]

ABSTRACT Agriculture intensification in Southern Brazil’s subtropical regions combined with the frequent occurrence of erosive rainfall has rendered the area a global water erosion hotspot. In this scenario, understanding and regulating erosion processes at the river catchment scale is critical for mitigating soil and water resource degradation. Traditional methods for tracing sediment sources are expensive and time-consuming and justify the development of alternative approaches. Therefore, in this study, we employed diffuse reflectance spectroscopy analyses in the ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS), near-infrared (NIR), […]

ABSTRACT The largest proportion of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the Agriculture sector of the Brazilian national GHG inventory is derived from the large (>200 million head) herd of cattle. The greatest contribution to these emissions comes from the enteric methane from cattle, but the direct and indirect emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O) from cattle excreta and N fertilizer are responsible for approximately 9 % of all national anthropogenic GHG emissions. Ammonia (NH3) can be volatilized from N fertilizer and […]

ABSTRACT The accessibility of soil P reserves by plants on highly weathered Brazilian soils remains unclear. In this study, we assessed the contribution of soil P fractions to P uptake by soybean plants in two no-till Oxisols (Latossolos), with low and high initial content of available P. The recommended P rates (viz., 153 and 50 kg ha-1 yr-1 in the low-P and high-P soil, respectively) were applied in the form of triple superphosphate (TSP) or Bayovar rock phosphate (BRP) plus […]