Volume 30, Number 1, 2006

Benchmark soils are a collection of soil orders that represents a particular geographical region. Knowledge on their properties and behavior may be applied to solve management problems of other soils with similar properties. The present study was carried out to determine the Mn and Fe available concentration by different extractants and their distribution among soil fractions in benchmark soils of Pernambuco State, Brazil. It was also aimed at studying the relationship between routine extractants and micronutrient forms in the soils. […]

The effects of soil fertility levels, root pruning and localized fertilization on root and shoot growth in ‘Catuaí’ coffee plants were studied in a greenhouse experiment. Sub-superficial (30-70 cm) samples of a Red-Yellow Latosol (Oxisol) were packed in PVC columns consisting of three 15 cm high rings of 20 cm diameter. Four treatments with three fertility levels [low (FB), medium (FM) and high (FA), and medium without root pruning with only two rings (FM2)] were installed before planting by adding […]

This field study had the following objectives: to determine the most appropriate micronutrient extractor to evaluate manganese bioavailability in soils under no-tillage; to evaluate the interaction of soil manganese with humic acids in soils under no-tillage with and without manganese deficiency through electronic paramagnetic resonance (EPR); and to evaluate manganese fractions (exchangeable, organic, oxides and residual) after manganese addition in soils under no-tillage with and without previous manganese deficiency for soybean. Four sites (I to IV) were selected to study […]

Soil tillage systems and the crop residue management are essential for the sustainability of cassava production in sandy and sandy loam soils of Northwestern Paraná State, Southern Brazil. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different tillage systems used for planting cassava: no-tillage (NT), minimum tillage using chiseling (MT) and conventional tillage with moldboard plow and disking (CT) on some physical properties of a dystrophic Red Latosol. The following soil physical properties were evaluated in the […]

The use of pig slurry in no-tillage systems is relatively recent in South Brazil, so it is important to evaluate the decomposition of pig slurry as well as its effects on the cover crop residue decomposition in this system. The objective of this study was to evaluate the pig slurry decomposition and its influence on the decomposition rate of black oat straw in a soil under no-tillage. Two experiments were carried out under field conditions in an experimental area of […]

The no-tillage system improves the structural soil quality. However, machinery traffic can cause surface soil compaction. In this situation, soil tilling for lime incorporation not only corrects soil acidity problems, but also decreases possible negative effects of soil compaction. The effects of tilling or not tilling the soil at the moment of lime reapplication on physical attributes in the soil profile and crop yields under different soil management systems were therefore evaluated. A long-term experiment was conducted on a Rhodic […]

Acid drainage is an environmental problem, not exclusive, but commonly associated to coal mines. It arises from the oxidation of sulfides, like pyrite, in overburden and mining tailings. The use of ashes from coal combustion is still limited in Brazil, but such residues have a potential use as neutralizing agent for acid mine drainage. This study intended to evaluate the interaction between the use of coal ash and CaCO3 to neutralize acid drainage from pyrite oxidation in coal mining overburden […]

The biodegradability and distribution of pesticides in the environment determine their pollution potential. The risk of contamination with atrazine herbicide was studied in an Ultisol under field conditions and complemented with a microcosm system study. This system allowed the use of 14C-atrazine under controlled conditions and to determine of the volatilization (0.33%), mineralization (0.25%) and leaching (4 to 11%) parameters, which are difficult to evaluate in the field. Ninety percent of the radioactivity remained in the soil, with 75% in […]