Volume 34, Number 4, 2010

The effects of humic substances on soil properties are known. However, little is known about the effects of these materials on plants. Depending on the concentration and chemical nature of the humic molecules applied, the effect may be expressed by an expansion of the root system, increase of nutrient absorption and increased crop growth. To evaluate the effects of C-humic acid concentrations on nutrition and growth of eucalyptus seedlings, a greenhouse experiment was carried out in nutrient solution. The treatments […]

Alfalfa is an important forage crop with high nutritive value, although highly susceptible to soil acidity. Liming is one of the most efficient and prevailing practices to correct soil acidity and improve alfalfa yield. The objective of this study was to evaluate response to liming of alfalfa grown in a greenhouse on a Typic Quartzipsamment soil. The treatments consisted of four lime rates (0, 3.8, 6.6 and 10.3 Mg ha-1) and two cuts. Alfalfa dry matter increased quadratically with increasing lime rates. […]

The information obtained through the humic fractions distribution can be used in brazilian soil studies as a diagnostic attribute or differential characteristic and therefore, contribute to the evolution of Brazilian System of Soil Classification (SiBCS). The objective of this study was to quantify the organic carbon in humic fractions of surface and subsurface diagnostic soil horizons and propose the use in the brazilian system of soil classification. A total of 169 diagnostic horizons distributed between Folistic Epipedon (O hístico), Histic Epipedon (H hístico), […]

Highland forests in mountains of Northeast Brazil are islands of humid Atlantic forest in the midst of the semi-arid region. The climatic conditions are rather atypical, improved by the occurrence of orographic rainfall, which can reach 1,200 mm per year. In the state of Pernambuco, most of the scientific studies in these humid highland forests are focused on botanical and zoological aspects only, with very little information about soils. Aiming to study the soils of the humid mountains in the semi-arid […]

Cropping systems modify soil attributes and can affect their quality. Traditionally evaluated by laboratory analytical methods, soil attributes have been used as indicators of its quality and are very accurate. However, many times, analytical methods are of difficult access by the producer and high cost. Visual Soil Assessment (VSA) has been developed to help land managers to assess soil condition easily, reliably and cheaply on a field scale. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of the […]

The widespread occurrence of Cambisols (shallow, dense and silty) and of clayey and very clayey Latosols is typical of pelitic rocks of the pre-Cambrian Bambui Group landscape, but few studies are focused on the genesis and agricultural potential of these soils. Two areas were selected in Curvelo, state of Minas Gerais, for a detailed study of physical, chemical and mineralogical properties of these soils, to deepen the understanding of the pedogenesis of this area. Soils classified as Haplic Cambisols (Inceptisols), […]

Brazilian tropical soils are generally regarded as highly weathered, which is attributed to the climatic conditions (high temperatures and rainfall). However, in the “Mar de Morros” environment the intensity of pedogenic processes can be affected by the erosional removal of material, due to the hilly relief, which rejuvenates the surfaces. The objective of this study was to characterize and classify soil profiles in a toposequence developed from muscovite-biotite gneiss, located in the municipality of Pinheiral (Rio de Janeiro State). The […]

El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) affects the weather and climate of several locations, causing changes in the atmospheric circulation and climate variables, mainly rainfall, in all regions of Brazil. In southern Brazil, during El Niño years (the positive phase of ENSO), rainfall is often above normal whereas during La Niña years (the negative phase of ENSO), rainfall is often below normal. Some rainfall properties are affected by ENSO, such as frequency, intensity and amount. These properties are important to define erosive rainfall events. […]

Rill erosion begins with the concentration of surface runoff on depressions of soil surface, evolving into the formation of channels or ravine, increasing soil degradation by water erosion. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the hydraulic conditions of the water flow in rills and characterize the water flow regime, and to measure the induced changes in the geometry of the preestablished rills. An experiment was conducted in which outflows of 17.5; 47.0; 60.0; 77.0 and 110.0 L min-1 were applied […]

No-tillage associated to cover crops may maintain soil quality, improving or preserving favorable soil physical conditions for plant growth. This study assessed soil bulk density, porosity, penetration resistance, and water infiltration of a PALEUDALF, in the Experimental Area of the Soil Science Department of the Federal University of Santa Maria, in Santa Maria, RS, Brazil, in an experiment started in 1991, with the following crop successions and rotations: (1) Corn/Soybean – Jackbean – MFP; (2) Bare soil – SDES; (3) […]