Estimation and evaluation of dynamic properties as indicators of changes on soil structure in sugarcane fields of São Paulo State - Brazil

The indiscriminate management and use of soils without moisture control has changed the structure of it due to the increment of the traffic by agricultural machines through the years, causing in consequence, a soil compaction and yield reduction in the areas of intensive traffic. The purpose of this work was to estimate and to evaluate the performance of preconsolidation pressure of the soil and shear stress as indicators of changes on soil structure in fields cropped with sugarcane, as well as the impact of management processes in an Eutrorthox soil structure located in São Paulo State. The experimental field was located in Piracicaba's rural area (São Paulo State, Brazil) and has been cropped with sugarcane, in the second harvest cycle. The soil was classified by Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA) [Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA), 1999. Centro Nacional de Pesquisa de Solos. Sistema Brasileiro de Classificao de Solos, Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA), Brasilia, 412 pp.] as an Eutrorthox. Undisturbed samples were collected and georeferenced in a grid of 60 m x 60 m from two depths: 0-0.10 m (superficial layer - SL) and in the layer of greatest mechanical resistance (LGMR), previously identified by cone index (CI). The investigated variables were pressure preconsolidation (sigma(p)), apparent cohesion (c) and internal friction angle (phi). The conclusions from the results were that the SLSC was predicted satisfactorily from up as a function of soil moisture; thus, decisions about machinery size and loading (contact pressures) can be taken. Apparent cohesion (c), internal friction angle (phi) and the Coulomb equation were significantly altered by traffic intensity. The sigma(p), c and phi maps were shown to be important tools to localize and visualize soil compaction and mechanical resistance zones. They constitute a valuable resource to evaluate the traffic impact in areas cropped with sugarcane in State of São Paulo, Brazil. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dimensional analysis of soil properties after treatment with the rotary paraplow, a new conservationist tillage tool

This study examined a new conservation tillage tool, the rotary paraplow. Emphasis was placed on evaluating the tool's conservation potential using dimensionless graph analysis. The dynamic conditions of the soil were investigated in terms of physical soil properties. Having determined the variables to be measured, dimensional analysis was used to plan the experiments. Two variations were considered for each dependent variable (linear speed, working depth, and rotation velocity), totaling eight treatments, allotting in each an experimental strip with five data collection points. This arrangement totaled 16 experimental strips, with 80 data collection points for all variables. The rotary paraplow generates a trapezoidal furrow for planting with a very wide bottom and narrower at the top. The volumetric subsoiling action generates cracks on the sides of the band. Because of their specific geometry the blades of rotary paraplow generate a soil failure according to its natural crack angle, optimizing the energy use, while preserving the natural soil properties. Results showed the conservation character of the rotary paraplow, capable of breaking up clods for planting without changing the original physical soil properties.

Survival of Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens in soil and bean crop debris

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Behaviour of displacement, cast-in-place piles on collapsible soil

The paper presents the results of instrumented compression load tests carried out in three uncased cast-in-place piles (pounded piles, called apiloadas in Brazil) which is largely used in interior part of the state of São Paulo. The tests were conducted with the soil in the natural condition and after soaking with water, before loading, in order to evaluate the influence of the soil collapsibility in the results. The values of the ultimate loads (total, point and lateral loads) obtained in the tests are presented and compared with the values predicted by empirical methods that utilize SPT and CPT results.

Prediction of Soil Properties from the Concepts of Energy Transfer in Dynamic Penetration Tests

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Effects of soil management systems on soil microbial activity, bulk density and chemical properties

Este trabalho teve por objetivo estudar os efeitos de diferentes sistemas de uso e manejo na densidade do solo nas suas propriedades químicas e na atividade microbiana em um Latossolo Vermelho distrófico (Oxisol). As amostras de solo foram retiradas de parcelas dos seguintes tratamentos: cerrado denso preservado, pastagem de Brachiaria decumbens degradada (20 anos), plantio direto com rotação de culturas (8 anos) e sistema convencional com rotação de culturas anuais (10 anos). O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o inteiramente casualizado, com dez repetições. O uso contínuo de plantio direto resultou em mais alta taxa de C-biomassa microbiana e menor perda relativa de carbono pela respiração basal, podendo determinar, desta forma, maior acúmulo de C no solo a longo prazo. Proporcionou, ainda, melhoria na densidade aparente e nas propriedades químicas do solo. Assim, o sistema plantio direto, com manejo de culturas, mostrou ser uma alternativa para a conservação e manutenção das condições físicas e do potencial produtivo de solos de cerrado.

Recovery of soil physical properties by green manure, liming, gypsum and pasture and spontaneous native species

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

The use of scaled semivariograms to plan soil sampling in sugarcane fields

Spatial sampling designs used to characterize the spatial variability of soil attributes are crucial for science studies. Sample planning for the interpolation of a regionalized variable may use several criteria, which could be best selected from an estimated semivariogram from a previously established grid. The objective of this study was to optimize the procedure for scaled semivariogram use to plan soil sampling in sugarcane fields in the Alfisol and Oxisol regions of Jaboticabal Town in So Paulo State, Brazil. A scaled semivariogram for several soil chemical attributes was estimated from the data obtained from two grids positioned on a sugarcane field area, sampled at a depth of 0.0-0.5 m. The research showed that regular grids with uniform intervals did not express the real spatial variability of the soil attributes of Oxisols and Alfisols in the study area. The calculated final sampling density based on the scaled parameters of the semivariogram was one sample for each 2 ha in Area 1 (convex landscape) and one sample for each 1 ha in Area 2 (linear landscape), as indicated by SANOS 0.1 software. The combined use of the simulation programs and scaled semivariograms can be used to define sampling points. These results may help in soil fertility mapping and thereby improve nutrient management in sugarcane crops.

Revegetation and Soil Management Effects on Chemical Properties of a Saprolite Resulting from Deep Soil Removal

During the building of a hydroelectrical power plant at Ilha Solteira in the Parana River (Brazil), materials of a highly weathered soil Oxisol were extracted from a depth between 5 and 8 m for engineering works. This resulted in an abandoned depression area. The topsoil was not salvaged and the open pit was not backfilled, and as result vegetation hardly or not at all recovered. on the residual saprolite materials, an experimental field was established to assess different soil rehabilitation treatments. Field experiments were initiated in 1992. After soil tillage, two different crops and three different liming strategies were compared, giving six combinations. In addition, two uncropped control treatments, tilled and no-tilled, were established so that a total of eight treatments were assessed. The experimental design consisted of four randomized experimental blocks, which included a total of 32 plots with a plot area of 100 m(2). This experiment was used to study the effectiveness of the soil-reclamation treatments after a 9-year period. Soil samples were taken at three different depths (0-10, 10-20, and 20-40 cm), and they were analyzed routinely for pH, organic-matter content, and cation exchange capacity (CEC). Revegetation of the abandoned saprolite material increased soil organic-matter content and cation exchange capacity (CEC), and to some extent small differences between treatments were evidenced. Exchangeable calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) recovered faster than organic-matter content. A significant linear relationship was found between organic-matter content and CEC, suggesting continued addition of organic material will further approach the value of these parameters to those levels corresponding to natural soils under "Cerrado" vegetation.

Biosurfactant synthesis by Pseudomonas aeruginosa LBI isolated from a hydrocarbon-contaminated site

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Biodegradation of biodiesel/diesel blends by Candida viswanathii

This work is aimed to assess the aerobic biodegradation of biodiesel/diesel blends (0, 2, 5, 20 and 100%, v/v) by Candida viswanathii. The biodegradation potential of the inoculum was assessed with the redox indicator 2,6-dichlorophenol indophenol (DCPIP) test and with respirometric experiment in biometer flasks (250 mL) used to measure the microbial CO(2) production. In the latter, the inoculum was added to a contaminated soil with the blends (addition of 50 mL of fuel/Kg of soil from a non-contaminated site). C. viswanathii was able to increase significantly (approximately 50% in terms of CO(2) production) the biodegradation in soil of biodiesel/diesel blends and neat biodiesel since it preferable biodegrades biodiesel. Without inoculum the biodegradation of diesel oil was higher than biodiesel and blends (47.3, 51.1, 5.7 and 22.1% in terms of CO(2) production by B2, B5, B20 and B100, respectively) presumably due to the presence of the antioxidant terc-butyl-hydroquinone (TBHQ) in the biodiesel.

Scanning electron microscope evaluation of chlorhexidine gel and liquid associated with sodium hypochlorite cleaning on the root canal walls

Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate, by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), the cleaning of the root canal walls after instrumentation and irrigation with 2.5% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) associated with 2% chlorhexidine (CHX) gel or liquid, combined or not with 17% ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA).Study design. Sixty single-root human teeth were subjected to standardized root canal instrumentation with different irrigants (n = 10): G1) NaOCl + CHX liquid; G2) NaOCl + CHX liquid + EDTA + saline solution; G3) NaOCl + CHX gel; G4) NaOCl + CHX gel + EDTA + saline solution; G5) saline solution; G6) saline solution + EDTA. After instrumentation, the teeth were prepared for SEM analysis (x500 and x2,000) to evaluate the cleaning of the cervical, middle, and apical thirds. The area analyzed was quantified according to the percentage of open and closed tubules, and data were statistically analyzed by analysis of variance and Tukey tests (P = .05).Results. The number of open tubules was highest in G4 in all root thirds, showing statistically significant difference from G1, G2, and G5 (P < .05). G1 presented higher quantity of closed tubules significant than G2.Conclusion. Irrigation with NaOCl and CHX gel followed by EDTA and saline solution produced greater cleaning of the root canal walls. (Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 2010;110:e82-e87)

Soil remediation using a coupled process: soil washing with surfactant followed by photo-Fenton oxidation

In the present work the use of a coupled process, soil washing and photo-Fenton oxidation, was investigated for remediation of a soil contaminated with p.p'-DDT (DDT) and p.p'-DDE (DDE), and a soil artificially contaminated with diesel. In the soil washing experiments,Triton X-100(TX-100) aqueous solutions were used at different concentrations to obtain wastewaters with different compositions. Removal efficiencies of 66% (DDT). 80% (DDE) and 100% (diesel) were achieved for three sequential washings using a TX-100 solution strength equivalent to 12 times the effective critical micelle concentration of the surfactant (12 CMC(eff)). The wastewater obtained was then treated using a solar photo-Fenton process. After 6 h irradiation, 99, 95 and 100% degradation efficiencies were achieved for DDT, DDE and diesel, respectively. In all experiments, the concentration of dissolved organic carbon decreased by at least 95%, indicating that residual concentration of contaminants and/or TX-100 in the wastewater was very low. The co-extraction of metals was also evaluated. Among the metals analyzed (Pb, Cr, Ni, Cu. Cd, Mn and Co), only Cr and Mn were detected in the wastewater at concentrations above the maximum value permitted by current Brazilian legislation. The effective removal of contaminants from soil by the TX-100 washing process, together with the high degradation efficiency of the solar photo-Fenton process, suggests that this procedure could be a useful option for soil remediation. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Influence of liming on residual soil respiration and chemical properties in a tropical no-tillage system

Devido às mudanças climáticas do planeta, principalmente ao aquecimento global, as formas de utilização dos solos na agricultura têm atraído grande atenção de pesquisadores. Mudanças de manejo podem influenciar a respiração do solo e, por conseguinte, alterar drasticamente o sequestro de C. Os objetivos deste trabalho foram avaliar, em semeadura direta, a influência da calagem nas emissões de CO2 do solo e correlacioná-las aos atributos químicos deste após dois anos da calagem. Utilizou-se o delineamento em blocos casualizados, com seis repetições. Os tratamentos constituíram de quatro doses de calcário e uma testemunha. Decorridos dois anos da calagem, avaliou-se a emissão residual de CO2 do solo, coletaram-se amostras nas camadas de 0-5, 5-10, 10-20 e 20-30 cm de profundidade e determinaram-se os teores de P, Ca2+ e Mg2+ e valores de pH e de saturação por bases. A emissão residual de CO2 do solo, quando a dose recomendada foi aplicada, foi 24,1 % superior, quando comparada à do solo sem aplicação de calcário, e 47,4 % maior, quando se aplicou o dobro da dose recomendada. A calagem melhorou as condições químicas do solo, e a emissão de CO2 aumentou linearmente com o aumento das doses. A emissão de CO2 do solo apresentou correlações positivas com os teores de P, Ca2+ e Mg2+ e com os valores de pH e de saturação por bases e negativas com os teores de H + Al e Al3+. Maiores coeficientes de correlação entre as taxas de emissão de CO2 do solo e os atributos químicos deste ocorreram na camada de 10-20 cm.

Performance of a reciprocal shaker in mechanical dispersion of soil samples for particle-size analysis

A dispersão da amostra de solo é uma etapa fundamental da análise granulométrica, sendo realizada mediante o uso de dispersantes químicos e agitação mecânica. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a eficiência de mesa agitadora reciprocante de baixa rotação na dispersão mecânica de amostras de solos de diferentes classes texturais. Foram realizadas análises granulométricas em 61 amostras com quatro repetições, empregando o método da pipeta para determinação da fração argila e tamisagem para determinação das frações areia grossa, areia fina e areia total, sendo o silte determinado por diferença. Na avaliação de desempenho, os resultados obtidos com uso da mesa agitadora reciprocante (MAR) foram comparados com dados disponíveis para as mesmas amostras oriundos de relatórios do Ensaio de Proficiência IAC para Laboratórios de Análises de Solos - Prolab/IAC. Análises de acurácia foram realizadas com base nos valores dos intervalos de confiança definidos para cada fração granulométrica componente de cada amostra ensaiada. Indicadores gráficos também foram utilizados na comparação de dados, por meio de dispersão e ajuste linear. A estatística descritiva indicou preponderância de baixa variabilidade em mais de 90 % dos resultados obtidos para as amostras de texturas arenosa, média e argilosa e em 68 % dos obtidos para as amostras de textura muito argilosa, indicando boa repetibilidade dos resultados obtidos com a MAR. Média variabilidade foi mais frequentemente associada à fração silte, seguida da fração areia fina. Os resultados das análises de sensibilidade indicam acurácia de 100 % nas três frações granulométricas - areia total, silte e argila - para todas as amostras analisadas pertencentes às classes texturais muito argilosa, argilosa e média. Para as nove amostras de textura arenosa, a acurácia média foi de 85,2 %, e os maiores desvios ocorreram em relação à fração silte. Nas aproximações lineares, coeficientes de correlação igual (silte) ou superiores (areia total e argila) a 0,93, bem como diferenças menores do que 0,16 entre os coeficientes angulares das retas e o valor unitário, indicam alta correlação entre os resultados de referência (Prolab/IAC) e os obtidos nos ensaios com a MAR. Conclui-se pelo desempenho satisfatório da mesa agitadora reciprocante de baixa rotação para dispersão mecânica de amostras de solo de diferentes classes texturais para fins de análise granulométrica, permitindo recomendar o uso alternativo do equipamento quando se emprega agitação lenta. As vantagens do uso do equipamento nacional incluem o baixo custo, a possibilidade de análise simultânea de grande número de amostras e o uso de frascos comuns, de vidro ou de plástico, baratos e de fácil reposição.