Volume 37, Number 6, 2013

There are several interpretation methods for foliar nutrient analysis, and the critical level or nutrient sufficient range described in the literature are the most commonly used. However, an inclusion of methods that determine the normal nutrient ranges for specific regions (sites) can increase the efficiency of interpretation. The objective of this study was to compare normal nutrient ranges for sugarcane cultivation, determined by the methods ChM (Mathematical Chance), DRIS (Integrated System of Diagnosis and Recommendation) and CND (Compositional Nutrient Diagnosis), […]

The production and storage of construction and demolition residues (CDR) consist in an important environmental issue because they represent more than 50 % of total solid waste that has been produced in large and medium-sized urban centers. However, as limestone is one of the major raw materials used in cement and hydrated lime products in the preparation of concrete and mortar, recycling this material can, in principle, provide a subproduct with potential to be applied to correct soil acidity. This […]

The grain yield of upland rice under no-tillage has been unsatisfactory and one reason could be the nitrate/ammonium balance in the soil. Cover crops and nitrogen fertilization can be used to change the nitrate/ammonium relation in the soil and improve conditions for the development of upland rice in the no-tillage (NT) system. The aim was to study the effect of cover crops and nitrogen sources on grain yield of upland rice under no tillage. The study was carried out on […]

Most studies related to soil aggregation associate the effect of managements or land use types with the organic matter content. However, a direct evaluation of microorganisms and their processes in undisturbed soil allows a better understanding of the real effect of different managements. The objective of this study was to evaluate the changes induced by different types of land use (pasture, eucalyptus forest, araucaria forest, conventional tillage with carrot, and conventional tillage with pumpkin) on soil chemical properties (pH, Ca, […]

Soil erosion is one of the chief causes of agricultural land degradation. Practices of conservation agriculture, such as no-tillage and cover crops, are the key strategies of soil erosion control. In a long-term experiment on a Typic Paleudalf, we evaluated the temporal changes of soil loss and water runoff rates promoted by the transition from conventional to no-tillage systems in the treatments: bare soil (BS); grassland (GL); winter fallow (WF); intercrop maize and velvet bean (M+VB); intercrop maize and jack […]

Soil compaction from animal traffic is a concern in crop-livestock systems. This experiment was set up in 2007 with the aim of evaluating the effect of different soil management systems and animal traffic on soil physical and water properties and soybean development and yield. The soil evaluated was a dystrofic Red Latosol (Oxisol) under a no-tillage grain crop system intercropped with forage for the past decade. The effect of animal traffic was evaluated in regard to soil bulk density (Bd), […]

Currently, sugarcane plays an important global role, particularly with a view to alternative energy sources. Thus, in a sugarcane field of the mill Vale do Paraná S/A Álcool e Açúcar, Rubineia, São Paulo State, managed under two green cane harvest systems (cane trash left on and cane trash removed from the soil), Pearson and spatial correlations between the sugarcane yield (variety RB855035 in the third cut) and soil physical and chemical properties were studied to identify the property best correlated […]

The soil is one of the main C pools in terrestrial ecosystem, capable of storing significant C amounts. Therefore, understanding the factors that contribute to the loss of CO2 from agricultural soils is critical to determine strategies reducing emissions of this gas and help mitigate the greenhouse effect. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of soil tillage and sugarcane trash on CO2 emissions, temperature and soil moisture during sugarcane (re)planting, over a study period of 15 […]

The definition of application rates of organic waste from agricultural, urban or industrial sources, with a view to agricultural re-use must be based on the soil mineralization rate. The objective of this study was to test different estimation methods of mineralized fractions of cattle, pig and poultry manure, as well as of sewage sludge and municipal solid waste compost, under field conditions, incorporated or applied to the surface of a Red-Yellow Latosol (LVAd). The experiment was conducted for 360 days […]

The intercropping of Eucalyptus with legumes can promote an improvement of soil biological quality in degraded areas and also be advantageous for the species of the consortium. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of planting systems (monoculture and consortium) of Acacia mangium (AM), Sesbania virgata (SV) and Eucalyptus camaldulensis (EC) on the biological characteristics of the plants (dendrometric attributes) and specifically on the fauna in the litter and the surface soil layer (0-0.05 m). An experiment […]