ABSTRACT Soils in alluvial plains of the lower course of the Acaraú River, Ceará State, Brazil, are weakly developed and have a complex distribution in the landscape. This study reports the pedogenic characterization of such soils in an effort to understand their formation. Soil pits were opened in four representative sites, profile morphology was described, and soil samples were collected for chemical, physical, mineralogical, and micromorphological analyses. All profiles had weak pedogenic development, as inferred from their morphological characteristics, lack […]

ABSTRACT The term Post-Barreiras is a definition for sediments above the deposits of the Barreiras Formation, and the genesis of soils in these environments must be related to sedimentary deposition. Our objective was to apply multi-technique analyses to characterize the sediments and soils to understand pedogenesis in these environments. We analysed sedimentological parameters and the geochronology of sediments. Morphological, chemical, and mineralogical analyses allowed the characterization of the soil. Also, these data supported the analysis of lithological discontinuity. We considered […]

ABSTRACT The northwestern part of the Acre State (Brazil) possesses singular soils in Brazilian Amazonia, but have been very little studied. This study aimed to discuss the genesis and some micropedological aspects of the soils from Serra do Divisor and adjacent floodplain soils of the Moa river, to enhance the knowledge on their formation. A toposequence of soils ranging from the uppermost part of sub-Andean Serra do Divisor to the Alluvial soils of Moa river floodplain was studied, regarding chemical, […]

ABSTRACT The micromorphology of deeply weathered soils (Ferralsols/ Latossolos ) from the Central Plateau of Brazil remains little studied, and its affiliation to different parent materials, poorly known. To clarify the processes of soil formation of these acric, gibbsitic, Fe-oxide rich Ferralsols, three lithotoposequences on local ultrabasic to basic intrusive rocks were studied. The influences of mixing and pedobioturbation are evident in all soils, and Ferralsols of the Central Plateau of Brazil are polygenetic, based on the coarse mineral composition, […]

ABSTRACT Sequences of thick and eroded soils in hills surfaces are cultivated with banana since the beginning of the last century in the Northeast of Pernambuco (PE), Brazil. Measurements of soil properties depending on soil slope under intensive agricultural cultivation are limited mostly as the pedogenetic approach. This study aimed to identify the dominant soil types, to evaluate morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical properties of soil profiles, and link them to the relief position under continuous banana cropping, in the […]

ABSTRACT Saprolite plays a central role into hydrologic and nutrient cycles. Despite that, saprolite research is scattered and uses heterogeneous, sometimes conflicting, methods and concepts. During field work, it is difficult to assign the boundary between soil and saprolite. This paper aimed to identify the subjacent logic that pedologists use to assign to a regolith volume its soil or saprolite nature. To achieve this goal, a tree algorithm was used to build a hierarchy of physical and chemical properties of […]

ABSTRACT The study of the relationships between the yield potential of forest stands and the conditions offered for plant development is fundamental for the adequate management of the forest when aiming at sustainable high yields. However, these relations are not clear, especially in commercial forests, on rugged terrain where relationships between the landscape, soil, and plants are more complex. Considering this, we tested the hypothesis that the morphological aspects of the soil conditioned by topography are the main limiting factors […]

ABSTRACT: Records of changes in the phytosociological structure of vegetation can be observed more clearly in soils that have more significant accumulation of organic matter, like those occurring in high-mountain environments. The aim of this study was to characterize soils formed in high-mountain environments in the Itatiaia National Park (INP), state of Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil, and to discuss the potential of preserved phytoliths as markers of vegetative history and environmental factors. Four profiles were selected, which were morphologically […]

ABSTRACT Archaeological Dark Earth (ADE) pedogenesis and pre-Columbian history are fundamental for understanding the biodiversity and pedodiversity of the Neotropical rainforest in the Amazon region. This study aimed to evaluate the morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical properties as well as NaOH-extractable organic matter [OM(NaOH)] in ADE and Mulatto Earth (ME) overlying volcanic rocks along a toposequence (four soil profiles) in western Amazonia, Brazil. The soil profiles show anthropic A horizons over an argic horizon (Bt) in the ADE (Humic, Pretic […]

ABSTRACT Although the physical environment of the Atlantic Forest realm is well known, studies on the soil-landform relationships are fundamental to improve the management of soil resources to facilitate sustainable development. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a representative topossequence on the “Mares de Morros” landscape of deeply weathered regolith on leucocratic granite rocks and demi-orange convex slopes. The soils varied along the topossequence according to drainage and were classified as Acrudox, Pseudogleysol, and Epiaquent. The clay fraction […]