Volume 32, Number 1, 2008

The chlorophyll meter (SPAD-502, Minolta) is a portable device that measures the relative chlorophyll index (RCI) in a simple, fast and non-destructive way in the field. This index is correlated with leaf N concentration in several crops, and allows the correction of N deficiency, optimizing fertigation. The objective of this study was to test RCI as an indicator of the nitrogen status in coffee trees to adjust fertigation during the development cycle. The experiment was carried out in Botucatu, state […]

In the region of Janaúba, northern Minas Gerais State, Brazil, banana yields are high due to the highly technical agriculture of the region, with intensive use of fertilizers and systematic plant disease and pest control. However, farmers frequently report a decline in banana yields, particularly when water from deep wells is used for irrigation. We therefore studied the effect of irrigation water from wells and from the Gorutuba River on soil chemical characteristics of areas with banana cultivation. Soil samples […]

No-tillage systems can change the ratio between soil acidity components and crop yields over the course of time. High crop yields are not seldom observed in highly acid soils. The liming criteria established for conventional tillage soils are likely to be unsuitable for no-tillage soils. The objective of this report was to define liming criteria, based on the yield response to different soil acidity levels and layers in no-tillage systems. Six plantations were sampled in the Planalto region of the […]

Knowledge on chemical and physical soil features in mountainous areas is very important for sustainable planning of natural resources. Thus, this study aimed to determine the soil chemical and physical attributes of an Inceptisol under different land uses, in Visconde do Rio Branco, in the Zona da Mata of Minas Gerais state. Five land uses were evaluated: orange, rubber tree, sugar-cane, pasture and forestry. Rubber tree, orange and pasture were cultivated during 15 years, and sugar-cane for 1.5 years. Prior to these […]

In the middle Rio Doce Valley, with strong seasonal dry-wet alterations, Latosols, Cambisols and Argissols coexist, with greater chemical fertility in the latter. General regional observations indicate a certain mineral reserve in Latosols, which gives them a “cambic” character, as well a “Latosolic” morphology in the Cambisols. In this study, we analyzed the genesis and pedological characteristics of Latosols, associated Cambisols and an Argisol in two toposequences from the Desidério catchment, in the Upper Plateau of the Suaçui Pequeno/Corrente Grande […]

The understanding of the relationships between geology, geomorphology and pedology underlies activities of soil classification and the evaluation of the pedological distribution of an area. This study was motivated by the lack of reports of this nature for the region of Lavras (MG), where several soil classes occur, related to a great petrological variety in the parent material and different geomorphological domains. The objective was to study the relationships between parent materials (pedogeological relationship), relief classes (pedogeomorphological relationship) and soils […]

One important property of Organosols (Histosols) (and soils with high content of organic carbon) to predict use potential and degradation risks is the degree of subsidence (loss of mass and volume). In Organosols the subsidence risks vary according to the soil attributes, mainly the nature of organic matter and deposition environment. In this paper we studied 19 soil profiles from different parts of the country, collected and described according to procedures recommended by the SBCS (Brazilian Soil Science Society); the […]

The objective of this study was to evaluate the physical, chemical, mineralogical and micromorphological characteristics of cohesive red, yellow and grayish soils in a toposequence of the Coastal Tablelands region in southern Bahia and northern Espirito Santo states. It was also sought to understand the mechanisms promoting their cohesion and fragipan formation. Therefore, the routine physical analyses, determination of the coarse clay/fine clay ratio, specific surface by BET-N2 and water vapor adsorption, magnetic susceptibility, scanning-electron microscopy analyses and the micromorphology […]

The degradation of soils with high sand content, in the southwest of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, is due to the vegetal cover withdrawal, forming sandy areas called “areais”, which pose a risk to animal husbandry and the prairie ecosystem. A technique of revegetation with cover crops such as Avena strigosa Schieb. and Lupinus albescens H. et Arn., was developed to reduce the soil particle movement by eolic erosion. The experiment was carried out on a Quartzipsament soil, […]

Carbon (C) addition through crop residues (residue-C), C dioxide emission (CO2-C) and the soil C stock (soil-C) are components of the C cycle in the soil-plant-atmosphere system. This 18-year study was conducted to identify agricultural practices that could potentially increase C retention in the soil and lessen global warming trends. The three C pools (residue-C, CO2-C and soil-C) under different tillage systems (CT-conventional tillage and NT-no tillage) and cropping systems (O/M-oat (Avena strigosa Schreb)/maize (Zea mays L.) and V/M-vetch (Vicia […]