Volume 32, Number 4, 2008

Organic matter may be considered an important soil quality indicator, as it is related with many soil chemical, physical, and biological characteristics. The study of total organic carbon (TOC) of the soil and its fractions is important. This study was conducted in a micro basin, with the purpose of: analyzing characteristics and quantify the stocks of total organic carbon (TOC) and its fractions as evidence of soil quality after different forms of use: (1) Atlantic Forest, (2) Cocoa (Theobroma cacao), […]

Successive applications of cupric fungicides to grapevine can increase total copper concentration in the soil and modify its desorption in the soil profile. This study was carried out in 2006 in the soil chemistry and fertility laboratory of the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria to evaluate copper forms and desorption dynamics in Udorthent and Haplumbrept soils (in the layers 0-20 and 20-40 cm) under grapevine for 40 years and under successive applications of cupric fungicides. The soils were collected in […]

In Brazil, afforestation programs use mainly eucalyptus and it has been frequently questioned due to possible changes in the soil caused by this exotic tree species. The impact of land use changes can vary with climate conditions and soil, and results obtained in a specific area may not be extrapolated to the supra-regional level. Biomass and microbial activity have been suggested as appropriate indicators of soil disturbance caused by management techniques. In this study, these characteristics were used to evaluate […]

The presence of plants stimulates soil microbiota, which may contribute to soil remediation. It is of great interest to quantify these effects on heterotrophic microorganisms due to their practical and ecological relevance. The following factors were evaluated: bacterial cell density, enzymatic activity, bacterial community structure and the spontaneous occurrence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in the plant rhizosphere in an area of land farming of petrochemical wastes, using a rhizospheric soil under five plants and control soil without plants. The […]

Mathematical models are used to estimate the nitrogen (N) mineralization potential in the soil. The parameters of anaerobic decomposition can be used to predict N availability to flooded rice. The objective of this study was to determine the “potentially mineralizable N” (N0) and the “mineralization rate” (k) parameters, using five mathematical models for different paddy soils of the state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Brazil, and to correlate the N0 values from the models with N uptake of flooded […]

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the influence of three soil cover species Acacia auriculiformis, Mimosa caesalpiniifolia and Corymbia citriodora compared to pasture and natural secondary forest on soil chemical and microbial attributes. The field survival rate of the species reached over 70% and the development in height and diameter (DAP) was adequate. The survival rate of Mimosa caesalpiniifolia was the highest among the legume species, while the development of Acacia auriculiformis was the best, mainly between 27 […]

The basidiospores of Pisolithus sp. contain large amounts of lipids, indicating provision for future germination in the host rhizosphere. However, the accumulation, composition, and mobilization of lipids during formation and germination of these spores are largely unknown. In this study, lipid storage and fatty acid composition during basidiosporogenesis were analyzed in fresh basidiocarps using bright-field microscopy and gas chromatography. Abundant lipid bodies are found in the hyphae, basidia, and basidiospores of fungal basidiocarps. This evidences a considerable C transport in […]

Plant growth-promoting endophytic bacteria can increase plant nutritional efficiency thus favouring its yield. With the purpose of evaluating the influence of 10 previously selected isolates of growth-promoting endophytic bacteria on the uptake, utilization and transport of nutrients by tomato plants, greenhouse experiments were installed. The hypocotyl was cut in order to apply the endophytic bacteria to tomato seedlings cultivar Santa Clara. Fifty five days after transplanting the upper portion of the cut seedlings, the plants were collected to determine the […]

An earlier application of potassium fertilizer, in the cultivation of cover crop species preceding the main summer crop in no-tillage system can be an advantageous in commercial farming. The objective of this study was to evaluate grain yield and K accumulation in soybean due to an earlier application of potassium fertilizer to a pear millet cover crop, and compared to K applied at sowing of the subsequent soybean under no-tillage. The experiment was conducted at the Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas […]

The application of silicates to soils can result in increased soil cation exchange capacity (CEC), displace anions, especially H2PO4– (diacid phosphate), neutralize the pH and Al toxicity and, in general, increase the nutrient availability to plants. However, calcium silicates may be less efficient than calcium carbonates. To evaluate the effect of calcium carbonate substitution by calcium silicate on the soil chemical properties, especially on phosphorus availability, four experiments were conducted in an entirely randomized design with four replications, in a […]