Volume 38, Number 2, 2014

Apart from the soil tillage system, the soil surface conditions that govern the rainwater erosion process change during growth of the corn crop. At the same time, the physical conditions of the soil surface that govern soil losses are different from those that govern water losses by erosion. The hypothesis of this study is that these changes occurring during the growth of the corn crop reduce soil losses but do not reduce water losses by erosion. Based on that, this […]

The planting of diversified crops during the sugarcane fallow period can improve the chemical and physical properties and increase the production potential of the soil for the next sugarcane cycle. The primary purpose of this study was to assess the influence of various soil uses during the sugarcane fallow period on soil chemical and physical properties and productivity after the first sugarcane harvest. The experiment was conducted in two areas located in Jaboticabal, São Paulo State, Brazil (21o 14′ 05” […]

Land use outside of its agricultural suitability is the main cause of degradation of natural resources due to anthropogenic activities. Agricultural activities are among those that most disturb the environment, exposing the soil to the action of water erosion and accelerating the transfer of sediments into bodies of water. In recent years, the fingerprinting method for identifying sources of sediment has been successfully used throughout the world; however, such studies in Brazil are still incipient. This study aims to estimate […]

The cropping system influences the interception of water by plants, water storage in depressions on the soil surface, water infiltration into the soil and runoff. The aim of this study was to quantify some hydrological processes under no tillage cropping systems at the edge of a slope, in 2009 and 2010, in a Humic Dystrudept soil, with the following treatments: corn, soybeans, and common beans alone; and intercropped corn and common bean. Treatments consisted of four simulated rainfall tests at […]

Soil physical quality is an important factor for the sustainability of agricultural systems. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate soil physical properties and soil organic carbon in a Typic Acrudox under an integrated crop-livestock-forest system. The experiment was carried out in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Treatments consisted of seven systems: integrated crop-livestock-forest, with 357 trees ha-1 and pasture height of 30 cm (CLF357-30); integrated crop-livestock-forest with 357 trees ha-1 and pasture height of 45 cm (CLF357-45); […]

Soil tillage, machine traffic and animal trampling in unsuitable wet soil conditions (consistency in the plastic state) cause plastic and non-recoverable deformations in the soil. The aim of this study was to determine and evaluate the soil physical and mechanical properties to characterize the level of soil compaction and load bearing capacity in three areas with different land uses (rotational grazing, native forest and conventional tillage). Undisturbed soil samples were collected in layers from 0.00-0.05, 0.05-0.10 and 0.10-0.15 m, with […]

The adoption of no-till in the humid subtropical region of Brazil based on only two precepts of conservation agriculture, soil disturbance restricted to the crop row and crop residue maintained as soil cover, has led to stratification of soil chemical properties in the 0-20 cm soil layer and physical degradation of the subsurface layer (from approximately the 5-20 cm depth), which may make for lower yields during short term droughts. The aim of this study was to evaluate the residual […]

Knowledge of the main diffuse sources of sediment production can enhance efficiency in use of public resources invested in management strategies that seek to mitigate sediment transfer to waterways from catchment areas. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the sediment sources in a rural catchment with predominance of annual crops under a no-tillage system and with intense and inappropriate exploitation of natural resources (soil and water) by quantifying the relative contribution of roads and croplands in the […]

The lack of a standard method to regulate heavy metal determination in Brazilian fertilizers and the subsequent use of several digestion methods have produced variations in the results, hampering interpretation. Thus, the aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of three digestion methods for determination of metals such as Cd, Ni, Pb, and Cr in fertilizers. Samples of 45 fertilizers marketed in northeastern Brazil were used. A fertilizer sample with heavy metal contents certified by the US National […]

Water degradation is strongly related to agricultural activity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of land use and some environmental components on surface water quality in the Campestre catchment, located in Colombo, state of Parana, Brazil.  Physical and chemical attributes were analyzed (total nitrogen, ammonium, nitrate, total phosphorus, electrical conductivity, pH, temperature, turbidity, total solids, biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand and dissolved oxygen). Monthly samples of the river water were taken over one year at […]