ABSTRACT: The use of management zones has ensured yield success for numerous agricultural crops. In spite of this potential, studies applying precision agricultural techniques to cacao plantations are scarce or almost nonexistent. The aim of the present study was to delineate management zones for cacao crop, create maps combining soil physical properties and cacao tree yield, and identify what combinations best fit within the soil chemical properties. The study was conducted in 2014 on a cacao plantation in a Nitossolo […]

ABSTRACT: Highland environments favor accumulation and preservation of soil organic matter (SOM) due to low temperatures, leading to the formation of Histosols. The Itatiaia National Park (INP), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, offers conditions for preservation of SOM deposited over time, which has led to the formation of these soils. The objective of this study was to characterize Histosols in this environment, with the premise that it may provide evidence of changes in vegetation. Organossolos (Histosols) were sampled, characterized, described, and […]

ABSTRACT: Knowledge of soils in the Amazon rainforest is becoming increasingly essential due to dynamics adopted by farmers that substitute forest for pastures, together with growing pressure from diverse segments of society towards adoption of sustainable production systems. The objective of this study was to characterize the soils along two toposequences, one under forest (F) and the other under pasture (P), and to verify how the change in land use influences soil attributes, evaluating their inclusion in the Brazilian Soil […]

ABSTRACT It is often difficult for pedologists to “see” topsoils indicating differences in properties such as soil particle size. Satellite images are important for obtaining quick information for large areas. However, mapping extensive areas of bare soil using a single image is difficult since most areas are usually covered by vegetation. Thus, the aim of this study was to develop a strategy to determine bare soil areas by fusing multi-temporal satellite images and classifying them according to soil textures. Three […]

ABSTRACT Soils formed in high mountainous regions in southern Brazil are characterized by great accumulation of organic matter (OM) in the surface horizons and variation in the degree of development. We hypothesized that soil properties and genesis are influenced by the interaction of parent materials and climate factors, which differ depending on the location along the altitudinal gradient. The goal of this study was to characterize and classify the soil, evaluate soil distribution, and determine the interactive effects of soil-forming […]

ABSTRACT Digital soil mapping (DSM) permits continuous mapping soil types and properties through raster formats considering variation within soil class, in contrast to the traditional mapping that only considers spatial variation of soils at the boundaries of delineated polygons. The objective of this study was to compare the performance of SoLIM (Soil Land Inference Model) for two sets of environmental variables on digital mapping of saturated hydraulic conductivity and solum depth (A + B horizons) and to apply the best […]

ABSTRACT Experimental statistical procedures used in almost all scientific papers are fundamental for clearer interpretation of the results of experiments conducted in agrarian sciences. However, incorrect use of these procedures can lead the researcher to incorrect or incomplete conclusions. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of the experiments and quality of the use of statistical procedures in soil science in order to promote better use of statistical procedures. For that purpose, 200 articles, published between […]

ABSTRACT The Bambuí Group, formed from siliciclastic sediments deposited on an extensive epicontinental platform at the end of the Neoproterozoic era, is characterized by limestones with fine to very fine texture. Limestone-derived soils in the southeast of Tocantins state, Brazil, are less notorious than similar soils in other regions of Brazil and their characterization could contribute to the Brazilian System for Soil Classification (SiBCS). Given that little is known of these soils, despitetheir agricultural potential, the objective of this study […]

ABSTRACT Correctly interpreting soil fertility and its spatial distribution within an area helps to lessen losses and environmental effects associated with agriculture, to optimize fertilization and liming practices. This study is aimed at using concepts and methods from spatial and temporal analyses to soil fertility and to develop a fuzzy classification methodology in an effort to define input application zones in three conilon coffee harvests. An irregular network with georeferenced points was built in the central region of the farm. […]

ABSTRACT Terrain attributes (TAs) derived from digital elevation models (DEMs) are frequently used in digital soil mapping (DSM) as auxiliary covariates in the construction of prediction models. The DEMs and information extracted from it may be limited with regard to the spatial resolution and error magnitude, and can differ in the behavior of terrain features. The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality and limitations of free DEM data and to evaluate a topographic survey (TS) underlying the […]