Volume 29, Number 5, 2005

The possibility of using norms obtained at a given site for different climate and soil conditions can confer the methods of diagnosis of nutritional status a universal character. In this sense, the methods Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System (DRIS), modified DRIS (M-DRIS), and Compositional Nutrient Diagnosis (CND) were applied in Eucalyptus grandis plantations aiming at comparing the diagnosis established by the methods with either specific or general norms at several sites in the central-eastern region of Minas Gerais State, Brazil, […]

Tuffite-derived magnetic soils in the Alto Paranaíba region, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, have a variable mineralogy and are assumed to contain iron oxides that are isoestructural to spinel, more specifically, (Mg,Ti)-rich magnetite and maghemite. In this study, magnetic portions (saturation magnetization, 34.4 < s/J T-1 kg-1 < 43.7) were separated from sand fractions of pedomaterials of a Brunizem (Chernosol) (samples labeled AP31CR; AP31B and AP31A) and of a leptic Chernosol (AP33CR e AP33A) developed from tuffite were collected near the city of Patos de Minas, […]

Researchers have suggested soil organic matter (SOM) as a key indicator of soil quality (SQ), due to its positive influence in other important soil attributes. With the objective to evaluate the potential use of SOM as an indicator to select soil management systems, two long-term experiments carried out on Paleudults in southern Brazil were used. In the first ten-year experiment located in Santa Maria (Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil) at the Federal University of Santa Maria, five treatments composed […]

No tillage (NT) is a proven and efficient soil management practice used to reduce soil erosion, minimizing soil losses. However, the absence of soil movement associated with traffic of heavy machinery cause changes in the soil structure, which combined with low surface roughness, can affect water dynamics by reducing the water infiltration rate. Our aim was to evaluate changes in soil properties under NT and chiseling in no tillage (CNT), as well as the effect of distinct planter furrow openers […]

First regulations concerning contaminant contents in fertilizers were implemented in the State of Washington, USA. The objective of our study was to consider the events as a possible reference for a similar ongoing situation in Brazil. The significant role of the press, which kept people informed and aware about the problem of waste-derived fertilizers, is discussed. Several groups, some with divergent points of view, were called upon to contribute to the final legislation, which was backed up by relevant technical […]

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of application of increasing doses of an alkaline biosolid on carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) stocks, as well as on the organic matter quality of an Oxisol cultivated with eucalyptus, after five years of biosolids application. The study was conducted at the Experimental Station of ESALQ/USP, in Itatinga County, São Paulo State, Brazil. The experiment was initiated in March 1998 on an area where a seven-year-old Eucalyptus grandis plantation had […]

Urban waste compost is an organic manure frequently used in horticultural areas. Thus, the objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of urban waste compost on soil fertility, on lettuce production and on nutrient accumulation in plants. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse using PVC columns. It was used a randomized block design with five treatments and eight replications. The treatments consisted of five urban waste compost rates (0; 30; 60; 90; and 120 t ha-1). The columns […]

Soil degradation under cultivation results mainly from the inadequate management and it reflects in low crop yields. With the purpose of evaluating the effect of legumes on physical attributes and organic carbon content of an Alfisol, an experiment was conducted in the Alagoinha County-PB, Brazil, between 1997 and 1999, with the following species: Crotalaria juncea L, Cajanus cajan L, Cajanus cajan (L) Millsp, Calopogonium mucunoides L, Canavalia ensiforme L, Dolichos lab lab L, Pueraria phaseoloides L, Macroptilium atropurpureum L, Leucaena […]