Volume 32, Number 6, 2008

Studies on soil fertility mapping based on geostatistics should consider some spatial variability characteristics such as spatial continuity and absence of anisotropy. The present study reports an anisotropic analysis of the spatial variability of the following soil chemical variables: iron (Fe), potential acidity (H + Al), organic matter (OM) and manganese (Mn) of a data set of 128 plots without local chemical management, spatially referenced, studied between 1998 and 2002 in a dystrophic Red Latosol (Oxisol), in Cascavel, Paraná, Brazil. […]

The soil compaction, induced by different traffic intensities, can cause damage in the soil structure, reducing the coffee plantation production. The objectives of this study was to develop a model of load support capacity for a Red Latosol (Oxisol) under Cerrado and under coffee and to investigate the effect of coffee plantation management on soil pore distribution and soil water retention, in different sampling positions in the coffee plantation. The stud site is located at 18 º 59 ‘ 15 […]

The estimate soil resistance to penetration curves (RPC) based on readily obtained variables such as water content, is a useful not only for the evaluation of soil compaction, but also to simplify the interpretation of soil resistance to penetration under different field conditions. The objective of this study was to estimate the RPC in soils of different textures and bulk densities based on data obtained with an impact penetrometer. The experiment was carried out at the Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias […]

The impact of wood loads on bulk density and preconsolidation pressure and of harvester and forwarder traffic on rut depth, bulk density and preconsolidation pressure of two Ultisols were examined in this study. Our objective was to quantify the threshold beyond which significant soil compaction and rutting would occur. This study was carried out in the county of Eunápolis, state of Bahia, Brazil, (16 º 23 ‘ 17 ” S and 39 º 10 ‘ 06 ” W; altitude 80 […]

The exponential growth in poultry farming in Brazil has led to a parallel increase in the production of manure and poultry litter. The litter generated in this activity used to be largely employed as cattle feed. However, the enactment of a law that bans the use of poultry litter as animal feed intensified its use as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Despite its importance, there are gaps in our knowledge on an adequate use to obtain high plant yields without threatening […]

The distribution of the clay fraction minerals depends on specific soil-environmental conditions. The study of the relationship between properties of these minerals and specific sites of landscape occurrence is important to understand the relationship between the mineralogy and other soil attributes. This study aimed to evaluate the degree of cristallinity of goethite, hematite, kaolinite and gibbsite and the spatial pattern in an Oxisol under sugar cane for 30 years. In a grid with regular 10 m – intervals, 119 samples […]

Kaolinite, gibbsite, goethite and hematite are the main clay fraction components in Brazilian Oxisols. The abundance of these mineral influence the physical-chemical properties of such soils, which is thought to depend on the relief. This study aimed to characterize the spatial dependence of the crystallinity of kaolinite, gibbsite, goethite and hematite and aggregates of an Oxisol under sugar cane and to assess the spatial correlation between the attributes. In a grid with regular 10 m intervals 119 samples were collected […]

Soils in the region of Campos de Cima da Serra, RS, have high organic matter contents (SOM) and high levels of exchangeable Al. This study aimed to investigate the SOM quality of surface samples (0-10 cm) of eight representative soils from the region (two Neossols, two Gleissols, three Cambissols, one Latosol) under native pasture. The objectives were to evaluate the sample behaviour under demineralization with HF solution, to determine the chemical composition and the influence of exchangeable Al and iron […]

A correct potassium fertilization management, using adequate fertilizer amounts, can minimize K losses and avoid soil K depletion. The objective of this study was to evaluate potassium dynamics in the soil profile as affected by different textures and exchangeable K levels resulting from previous soybean fertilizations. Soils with sandy loam and clayey texture previously planted with soybean and fertilized with 0, 60, 120 and 180 kg ha-1 K2O were sampled during 6 years. The experiment was carried out in a […]

Alterations in the redox potential (Eh) of soils, as observed in hydromorphic soils, cause significant alterations in the chemical and mineralogical soil characteristics and have a strong influence on the behavior of P, altering the ratio of the labile and non-labile forms. The purpose of this study was to verify the effect of conditions of low Eh on the dissolution/reversibility of non-labile P forms and solubilization/behavior of Fe and Al oxyhydroxides. Samples of 11 soils were incubated with 300 mg […]