Water erosion in no-tillage monoculture and intercropped systems along contour lines

Water erosion is the major cause of soil and water losses and the main factor of degradation of agricultural areas. The objective of this work was to quantify pluvial water erosion from an untilled soil with crop rows along the contour, in 2009 and 2010, on a Humic Dystrupept, with the following treatments: a) maize monoculture; b) soybean monoculture; c) common bean monoculture; d) intercropped maize and bean, exposed to four simulated rainfall tests of on hour at controlled intensity (64 mm h-1). The first test was applied 18 days after sowing and the others; 39, 75 and 120 days after the first test. The crop type influenced soil loss through water erosion in the simulated rainfall tests 3 and 4; soybean was most effective in erosion control in test 3, however, in test 4, maize was more effective. Water loss was influenced by the crop type in test 3 only, where maize and soybean were equally effective, with less runoff than from the other crops. The soil loss rate varied during the runoff sampling period in different ways, demonstrating a positive linear relationship between soil and water loss, in the different rainfall tests.

Manganese accumulation and its relation to "eucalyptus shoot blight in the Vale do Rio Doce"

Eucalyptus Shoot Blight in the Vale do Rio Doce (ESBVRD) is an anomaly that leads to reduced growth and, in more extreme cases, to death of eucalyptus plants. Initially diagnosed in plantations in the region of the Vale do Rio Doce, in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, this problem has also been found in plantations in other regions of the country and even in other countries. Although the symptoms of this anomaly are well-known, its causes are not yet understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cause-effect relationship between accumulation of manganese (Mn) in eucalyptus clones and ESBVRD. Characterization of the environment in areas of greater occurrence of this problem in regard to soil, climate and fluctuation of the water table was undertaken in eucalyptus plantations of the Celulose Nipo-brasileira S.A. (Cenibra) company in the region of the Vale do Rio Doce. Plant tissues were sampled in two situations. In the first situation, diagnosis occurred in the initial phase of the anomaly in clones with differentiated tolerance to the problem; in the second situation, diagnosis was made in a single clone, considered to be sensitive, in two time periods - in the phase with the strong presence of symptoms and in the recovery phase, in areas of occurrence and in areas of escape from the problem. The most ESBVRD-sensitive clone showed much higher (4.8 times higher) leaf Mn contents than more tolerant clones. In plants with the anomaly, Mn leaf contents were greater than 3,070 mg kg-1, much greater than the quantity found in those without the anomaly (734 mg kg-1). In the period in which the symptoms began to wane, there was a sharp decline in leaf Mn contents, from 2,194 to 847 mg kg-1. Manganese content in the above ground part and plant litter (44.4 g ha-1) in the area of occurrence of the anomaly was three times greater than that found in these same components (14.1 g ha-1) in the area of absence of the symptom. Based on the evidence found, such as the existence of environmental conditions favorable to high Mn availability to the plants in the areas of greatest incidence of ESBVRD, greater uptake of Mn in sensitive clones and in plants with symptoms, and a synchronism between the intensity of symptoms of ESBVRD and leaf Mn contents, it may be inferred that temporary excess of Mn in eucalyptus plants is closely related to ESBVRD.

Multivariate analysis applied to the study of the relationship between soil and plant properties in a peach orchard

In the State of Rio Grande do Sul, the municipality of Pelotas is responsible for 90 % of peach production due to its suitable climate and soil conditions. However, there is the need for new studies that aim at improved fruit quality and increased yield. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship that exists between soil physical properties and properties in the peach plant in the years 2010 and 2011 by the technique of multivariate canonical correlation. The experiment was conducted in a peach orchard located in the municipality of Morro Redondo, RS, Brazil, where an experimental grid of 101 plants was established. In a trench dug beside each one of the 101 plants, soil samples were collected to determine silt, clay, and sand contents, soil density, total porosity, macroporosity, microporosity, and volumetric water content in the 0.00-0.10 and 0.10-0.20 m layers, as well as the depth of the A horizon. In each plant and in each year, the following properties were assessed: trunk diameter, fruit size and number of fruits per plant, average weight of the fruit per plant, fruit pulp firmness, Brix content, and yield from the orchard. Exploratory analysis of the data was undertaken by descriptive statistics, and the relationships between the physical properties of the soil and of the plant were assessed by canonical correlation analysis. The results showed that the clay and microporosity variables were those that exhibited the highest coefficients of canonical cross-loading with the plant properties in the soil layers assessed, and that the variable of mean weight of the fruit per plant was that which had the highest coefficients of canonical loading within the plant group for the two years assessed.

Relationship Between Edaphic Factors and Vegetation in Savannas of the Brazilian Midwest Region

The Brazilian savanna is a mosaic of phytophysiognomies influenced by edaphic and topographic factors that range from the occurrence of fires to anthropic disturbance. The goal of this study was a comparative analysis between two cerrado areas in southeastern Goiás, relating the floristic composition and structure of the vegetation to soil properties to better understand the physiognomic characteristics of the region. Twenty-five 20 × 20 m plots were used. All plants with circumference at breast height of more than 15 cm were measured. Soil samples collected at a depth of 0-20 cm were subjected to physical and chemical analyses. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was used to detect possible correlations between the soil properties and species abundance and distribution. The density and total basal area were 1,647 ind/ha and 15.57 m2/ha, respectively, in Ouroana. At this site, 107 species were sampled. In Montes Claros de Goiás, the density and total basal area were 781 ind/ha and 17.62 m2/ha, and 120 species were sampled. The soil texture of Ouroana was sandy and significantly different from the medium to clayey texture of Montes Claros. The soils of both areas are dystrophic, however, more fertile in Montes Claros and aluminum-toxic in Ouroana. The species of vegetation were distributed according to soil fertility levels. The CCAs grouped species according to soil properties that defined location and abundance as well as the phytophysiognomies of the studied areas.

LOSS OF EXTRACTION CAPACITY OF MEHLICH-1 AND MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE AS A VARIABLE OF REMAINING P AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO CRITICAL LEVELS OF SOIL PHOSPHORUS AND SULFUR

The Mehlich-1 (M-1) extractant and Monocalcium Phosphate in acetic acid (MCPa) have mechanisms for extraction of available P and S in acidity and in ligand exchange, whether of the sulfate of the extractant by the phosphate of the soil, or of the phosphate of the extractant by the sulfate of the soil. In clayey soils, with greater P adsorption capacity, or lower remaining P (Rem-P) value, which corresponds to soils with greater Phosphate Buffer Capacity (PBC), more buffered for acidity, the initially low pH of the extractants increases over their time of contact with the soil in the direction of the pH of the soil; and the sulfate of the M-1 or the phosphate of the MCPa is adsorbed by adsorption sites occupied by these anions or not. This situation makes the extractant lose its extraction capacity, a phenomenon known as loss of extraction capacity or consumption of the extractant, the object of this study. Twenty soil samples were chosen so as to cover the range of Rem-P (0 to 60 mg L-1). Rem-P was used as a measure of the PBC. The P and S contents available from the soil samples through M-1 and MCPa, and the contents of other nutrients and of organic matter were determined. For determination of loss of extraction capacity, after the rest period, the pH and the P and S contents were measured in both the extracts-soils. Although significant, the loss of extraction capacity of the acidity of the M-1 and MCPa extractants with reduction in the Rem-P value did not have a very expressive effect. A “linear plateau” model was observed for the M-1 for discontinuous loss of extraction capacity of the P content in accordance with reduction in the concentration of the Rem-P or increase in the PBC, suggesting that a discontinuous model should also be adopted for interpretation of available P of soils with different Rem-P values. In contrast, a continuous linear response was observed between the P variables in the extract-soil and Rem-P for the MCPa extractor, which shows increasing loss of extraction capacity of this extractor with an increase in the PBC of the soil, indicating the validity of the linear relationship between the available S of the soil and the PBC, estimated by Rem-P, as currently adopted.

Multiple Geotechnological Tools Applied to Digital Mapping of Tropical Soils

ABSTRACT In recent years, geotechnologies as remote and proximal sensing and attributes derived from digital terrain elevation models indicated to be very useful for the description of soil variability. However, these information sources are rarely used together. Therefore, a methodology for assessing and specialize soil classes using the information obtained from remote/proximal sensing, GIS and technical knowledge has been applied and evaluated. Two areas of study, in the State of São Paulo, Brazil, totaling approximately 28.000 ha were used for this work. First, in an area (area 1), conventional pedological mapping was done and from the soil classes found patterns were obtained with the following information: a) spectral information (forms of features and absorption intensity of spectral curves with 350 wavelengths -2,500 nm) of soil samples collected at specific points in the area (according to each soil type); b) obtaining equations for determining chemical and physical properties of the soil from the relationship between the results obtained in the laboratory by the conventional method, the levels of chemical and physical attributes with the spectral data; c) supervised classification of Landsat TM 5 images, in order to detect changes in the size of the soil particles (soil texture); d) relationship between classes relief soils and attributes. Subsequently, the obtained patterns were applied in area 2 obtain pedological classification of soils, but in GIS (ArcGIS). Finally, we developed a conventional pedological mapping in area 2 to which was compared with a digital map, ie the one obtained only with pre certain standards. The proposed methodology had a 79 % accuracy in the first categorical level of Soil Classification System, 60 % accuracy in the second category level and became less useful in the categorical level 3 (37 % accuracy).