Soil microbial biomass and organic matter fractions during transition from conventional to organic farming systems

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Small-scale method for the determination of selected organochlorine pesticides in soil

A small-scale method was developed for the simultaneous determination of γ-HCH, heptachlor, aldrin, dicofol, mirex, endosulfan I, endosulfan II and endosulfan sulphate in soil. The extraction and clean-up steps were combined into one step by transferring soil samples to chromatographic columns prepacked with neutral alumina. The pesticides elution was processed with n-hexane : dichloromethane (7:3) and the concentrated eluate was analysed using gas-liquid chromatography with electron capture detection. Analyses of the in vitro fortified samples with the selected pesticides were performed at three different levels. Mean recoveries for aldrin, γ-HCH and heptachlor, at levels of 2, 10 and 20 ng/g, ranged from 71 to 87%; for dicofol, at levels of 8, 40 and 80 ng/g, ranged from 97 to 103%; for endosulfan I and II, at levels of 5, 25 and 50 ng/g, ranged from 88 to 96%; for mirex, at levels of 6, 30 and 60 ng/g, ranged from 86 to 110%; and for endosulfan sulphate, at levels of 15, 75 and 150 ng/g, ranged from 93 to 104%. The method can be used for rapid determination of these pesticides in soil. © Springer-Verlag 1996.

Alteration of soil properties through a weathering sequence as evaluated by spectral reflectance

In the study of physical, chemical, and mineralogical data related to the weathering of soils and the quantification of their properties, remote sensing constitutes an important technique that, in addition to conventional analyses, can contribute to soil survey. The objectives of this research were to characterize and differentiate soils developed from basaltic rocks that occur in the Parana state, Brazil and to quantify soil properties based on their spectral reflectance. These observations were used to verify the relationship between the soils and reflectance with regard to weathering, organic matter (OM), and forms of Fe. From the least to the most weathered soil, we used a Typic Argiudoll (Reddish Brunizem), Rhodudalf (Terra Roxa Estruturada), and Rhodic Hapludox (Very Dark Red Latosol). The spectral reflectances between 400 and 2500 nm were obtained in the laboratory from soil samples collected at two depth increments, 0- to 20- and 40- to 60-cm, using an Infra Red Intelligent Spectroradiometer (IRIS). Correlation, regression, and discriminant estimates were used in analyzing the soil and spectral data. Results of this study indicated that soils could be separated at the soil-type level based on reflectance intensity in various absorption bands. Soil collected in the 40- to 60-cm depth appeared to have higher reflectance intensities than those from the 0- to 20-cm depth. Removal of OM from soil samples promoted higher reflectance intensity in the entire spectrum. Amorphous and crystalline Fe influenced reflectance differently. Weathering of basaltic soils was correlated with alterations in the reflectance intensities and absorption features of the spectral curves. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that this technique was efficient in the estimation of clay, silt, kaolinite, crystalline Fe, amorphous Fe, and Mg through the use of reflected energy of the soils.

Dissipation of DDT in a heavily contaminated soil in Mato Grosso, Brazil

After the prohibition of organochlorine-pesticide use in Brazil for controlling insect vector diseases, Mato Grosso State gathered the exceeding DDT and stored it irregularly in an open air area that belongs to the National Health Foundation, causing soil contamination. This study aimed to evaluate the contamination level and dissipation of p,p′-DDT and p,p′-DDE in this area. For that, surface soil samples were collected on 19 September 2000, 15 December 2000, 4 April 2001 and soil samples 30-40 cm; 60-70 cm and 90-100 cm deep were taken from five points in the studied area on 17 July 2001. The contaminants were determined by a small scale method which consists on extraction and clean-up steps combined into one step by transferring soil samples mixed with neutral alumina to a chromatographic column prepacked with neutral alumina and elution with hexane:dichloromethane (7:3 v:v). The eluate was concentrated and the analytes were quantified by gas chromatography with an electron-capture detector. p,p′-DDT at surface soil ranged from 3800 to 7300 mg kg -1. 30-40 cm deep soil sample concentrations varied from 0.036 to 440 mg kg -1 while 90-100 cm deep samples varied from 0.069 to 180 mg kg -1. Volatilization is probably the main dissipation process. The p,p′-DDT is moving slowly downward in the soil profile, however, the levels of this contaminant are high enough to present risk to underground waters. © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nickel in a tropical soil treated with sewage sludge and cropped with maize in a long-term field study

Sewage sludge produced by the SABESP wastewater treatment plant (Companhia de Saneamento Básico do Estado de São Paulo), located in Barueri, SP, Brazil, may contain high contents of nickel (Ni), increasing the risk of application to agricultural soils. An experiment was carried out under field conditions in Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil, with the objective of evaluating the effects on soil properties and on maize plants of increasing rates of a sewage sludge rich in Ni that had been applied for 6 consecutive years. The experiment was located on a Typic Haplorthox soil, using an experimental design of randomized blocks with four treatments (rates of sewage sludge) and five replications. At the end of the experiment the accumulated amounts of sewage sludge applied were 0.0, 30.0, 60.0 and 67.5 t ha-1. Maize (Zea mays L.) was the test plant. Soil samples were collected 60 d after sowing at depths of 0-20 cm for Ni studies and from 0 to 10 cm and from 10 to 20 cm for urease studies. Sewage sludge did not cause toxicity or micronutrient deficiencies to maize plants and increased grain production. Soil Ni appeared to be associated with the most stable fractions of the soil organic matter and was protected against strong extracting solutions such as concentrated and hot HNO3 and HCl. Ni added to the soil by sewage sludge increased the metal concentration in the shoots, but not in the grain. The Mehlich 3 extractor was not efficient to evaluate Ni phytoavailability to maize plants. Soil urease activity was increased by sewage sludge only in the layer where the residue was applied. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Soil seed banks in tropical forest fragments with different disturbance histories in southeastern Brazil

Soil seed banks are considered an important mechanism for natural regeneration in tropical forest ecosystems. This paper investigated the soil seed bank in two semideciduous seasonal tropical forest fragments with different disturbance histories in Botucatu, southeastern Brazil. In each study site, 40 superficial soil samples (30 cm × 30 cm × 5 cm) were taken at the end of both the dry and rainy seasons. The seeds were estimated by the germination method. Average soil seed density was 588.6 and 800.3 seeds m-2, respectively, for site 1 (less disturbed) and site 2 (more disturbed). Seed density and diversity (H′) were significantly higher in site 2 in both seasons. Non-woody taxa predominated in both fragments, but pioneer tree species were better represented in the less disturbed forest. Both ecosystems have a potential for regeneration from soil seed banks, but this potential is higher in the less disturbed site. Low richness and density of pioneer tree species in the seed bank indicate that the ecosystem has lost its resilience. The seed bank is not as important in these ecosystems as in other forests. Results indicate that management strategies to restore these forests should take into account the possibility of recovering soil seed bank processes and dynamics. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Heavy metals availability and fractions in soil amended with biosolid composts

The heavy metals when linked to organic matter have a behavior in the soil that is still little known. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of sewage-sludge-based composts when incorporated in the soil, in relation to heavy metals availability. Five composts were incorporated using sugar-cane bagasse, sewage sludge and cattle manure in the respective proportions: 75-0-25, 75-12.5-12.5, 75-25-0, 50-50-0 and 0-100-0 (composts with 0, 12.5, 25, 50 and 100% sewage sludge). The experiment consisted of 6 treatments (5 composts and a control with mineral fertilization) in randomized blocks with a split-plot design. The control and the treatment of 0% sewage sludge received inorganic nitrogen (N). All the treatments received the same amount of N (8.33 g) K (5.80 g) and K (8.11 g) per pot. Tomato plants were cultivated in 24.0 L pots in a greenhouse in Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil. The concentrations of heavy metals were determined in the soil samples at day 0 after compost incorporation. The higher the sewage sludge doses, the higher heavy metal contents in the soil. Among extractants, Melhlich-1 extracted the highest amount of heavy metals, while DTPA extracted the lowest one. The residual fraction presented the highest heavy metal content, followed by Fe oxides crystalline and amorphous to Cu, Cr and Mn, and Mn oxides, and Fe amorphous to Zn, indicating strong associations to oxides and clays. There were significant positive correlations between Mn contents in the plant and Mn linked to Fe oxide amorphous and crystalline.

The effects of soil pollution and its relation with morbidity in shoreline areas

Soil and subsoil pollution is not only significant in terms of environmental loss, but also a matter of environmental and public health. Solid, liquid and gaseous residues are the major soil contamination agents. They originate from urban conglomerates and industrial areas in which it is impossible to emphasize the chemical, petrochemical and textile industry; thermoelectric, mining, and ironmaster activities. The contamination process can thus be defined as a compound addition to soil, from what qualitative and or quantitative manners can modify soil's natural characteristics and use, producing baneful and deteriorative effects on human health. Studies have shown that human exposition to high concentration of some heavy metals found on soil can cause serious health problems, such as pulmonary or kidney complications, liver and nervous system harm, allergy, and the chronic exposition that leads to death. The present study searches for the correlation among soil contamination, done through a geochemical baseline survey of an industrial contamination area on the shoreline of Sao Paulo state. The study will be conducted by spatial analysis using Geographical Information Systems for mapping and regression analysis. The used data are 123 soil samples of percentage concentration of heavy metals. They were sampled and spatially distributed by geostatistics methods. To verify if there is a relation between heavy metals soil pollution and morbidity an executed correlation and regression analysis will be done using the pollution registers as the independent variables and morbidity as dependable variables. It is expected, by the end of the study, to identify the areas relation between heavy metals soil pollution and morbidity, moreover to be able to provide assistance in terms of new methodologies that could facilitate soil pollution control programs and public health planning. © 2010 WIT Press.

Evaluation of soil management and use in an Ultisol in a guava orchard in comparison with a sugarcane field and native forest area

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Magnetic susceptibility in the prediction of soil attributes in two sugarcane harvesting management systems

This study aimed to investigate the potential use of magnetic susceptibility (MS) as pedotransfer function to predict soil attributes under two sugarcane harvesting management systems. For each area of 1 ha (one with green sugarcane mechanized harvesting and other one with burnt sugarcane manual harvesting), 126 soil samples were collected and subjected to laboratory analysis to determine soil physical, chemical and mineralogical attributes and for measuring of MS. Data were submitted to descriptive statistics by calculating the mean and coefficient of variation. In order to compare the means in the different harvesting management systems it was carried out the Tukey test at a significance level of 5%. In order to investigate the correlation of the MS with other soil properties it was made the correlation test and aiming to assess how the MS contributes to the prediction of soil complex attributes it was made the multiple linear regressions. The results demonstrate that MS showed, in both sugarcane harvesting management systems, statistical correlation with chemical, physical and mineralogical soil attributes and it also showed potential to be used as pedotransfer function to predict attributes of the studied oxisol.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities and soil aggregation as affected by cultivation of various crops during the sugarcane fallow period

Management systems involving crop rotation, ground cover species and reduced soil tillage can improve the soil physical and biological properties and reduce degradation. The primary purpose of this study was to assess the effect of various crops grown during the sugarcane fallow period on the production of glomalin and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in two Latosols, as well as their influence on soil aggregation. The experiment was conducted on an eutroferric Red Latosol with high-clay texture (680 g clay kg-1) and an acric Red Latosol with clayey texture (440 g kg-1 clay) in Jaboticabal (São Paulo State, Brazil). A randomized block design involving five blocks and four crops [soybean (S), soybean/fallow/soybean (SFS), soybean/millet/soybean (SMS) and soybean/sunn hemp/soybean (SHS)] was used to this end. Soil samples for analysis were collected in June 2011. No significant differences in total glomalin production were detected between the soils after the different crops. However, total external mycelium length was greater in the soils under SMS and SHS. Also, there were differences in easily extractable glomalin, total glomalin and aggregate stability, which were all greater in the eutroferric Red Latosol than in the acric Red Latosol. None of the cover crops planted in the fallow period of sugarcane improved aggregate stability in either Latosol.

Soil microbial biomass after two years of the consecutive application of composted tannery sludge

Because the agricultural use of tannery sludge may cause increased risks to soils, composting is recognized as one of the most suitable alternative for tannery sludge recycling. Experiments were conducted under field conditions to evaluate the effects of composted tannery sludge (CTS) on the soil microbial biomass and trace elements after two years of consecutive applications. The following five treatments were used: 0 (without CTS application), 5, 10, 20 and 40 ton ha-1 of CTS (dry basis). Soil samples were collected at 60 days after the CTS application at 0-20 cm depth. The CTS application promoted changes in the soil microbial biomass C (SMB-C) and N (SMB-N). In the first year, significant increases in the SMB-C and SMB-N were observed with the application of 10 ton ha-1. Furthermore, CTS application increased the Cr content in the soil after two years of application.

Ruzigrass affecting soil-phosphorus availability

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effectiveness of ruzigrass (Urochloaruziziensis) in enhancing soil-P availability in areas fertilized with soluble or reactive rock phosphates. The area had been cropped for five years under no-till, in a system involving soybean, triticale/black-oat, and pearl millet. Previously to the five-year cultivation period, corrective phosphorus fertilization was applied once on soil surface, at 0.0 and 80 kg ha-1 P2O5, as triple superphosphate or Arad rock phosphate. After this five-year period, plots received the same corrective P fertilization as before and ruzigrass was introduced to the cropping system in the stead of the other cover crops. Soil samples were taken (0-10 cm) after ruzigrass cultivation and subjected to soil-P fractionation. Soybean was grown thereafter without P application to seed furrow. Phosphorus availability in plots with ruzigrass was compared to the ones with spontaneous vegetation for two years. Ruzigrass cultivation increased inorganic (resin-extracted) and organic (NaHCO3) soil P, as well as P concentration in soybean leaves, regardless of the P source. However, soybean yield did not increase significantly due to ruzigrass introduction to the cropping system. Soil-P availability did not differ between soluble and reactive P sources. Ruzigrass increases soil-P availability, especially where corrective P fertilization is performed.

Effects of traffic control on the soil physical quality and the cultivation of sugarcane

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Chromium, Cadmium, Nickel, and Lead in a Tropical Soil after 3 Years of Consecutive Applications of Composted Tannery Sludge

Agricultural use of tannery sludge (TS) may increase risks to soils. Thus, composting is recognized as one of the most suitable alternatives for TS recycling. Field experiments were carried out to evaluate the effects of composted tannery sludge (CTS) on chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), and lead (Pb) accumulation in soil after 3 years. Soil samples were collected 60 days after CTS application. After 3 years, The CTS increased Cr and Ni content, while Cd and Pb contents decreased. The third year, Cr contents showed linear increases as CTS rates were applied. The application of CTS, after 3 years, in the 2.5, 5, and 10 Mg ha(-1) increased Cr significantly (140.7%, 159.7%, and 19%, respectively) and Ni (32%, 53%, and 43.8%, respectively) contents in the soil surface layer. This means that consecutive amendments of CTS increase Cr contents in the soil and plants.