Calibração e validação de sensor dielétrico para estimativa de teor de água em solos do Cerrado.

2008

Using GPS, GIS & remote sensing to understand Niagara Terroir : Pinot noir in the Four Mile Creek & St. David's Bench sub-appellations

The relationships between vine water status, soil texture, and vine size were observed in four Niagara, Ontario Pinot noir vineyards in 2008 and 2009. The vineyards were divided into water status zones using geographic information systems (GIS) software to map the seasonal mean midday leaf water potential (,P), and dormant pruning shoot weights following the 2008 season. Fruit was harvested from all sentinel vines, bulked by water status zones and made into wine. Sensory analysis included a multidimensional sorting (MDS) task and descriptive analysis (DA) of the 2008 wines. Airborne multispectral images, with a spatial resolution of 38 cm, were captured four times in 2008 and three times in 2009, with the final flights around veraison. A semi-automatic process was developed to extract NDVI from the images, and a masking procedure was identified to create a vine-only NDVI image. 2008 and 2009 were cooler and wetter than mean years, and the range of water status zones was narrow. Yield per vine, vine size, anthocyanins and phenols were the least consistent variables. Divided by water status or vine size, there were no variables with differences between zones in all four vineyards in either year. Wines were not different between water status zones in any chemical analysis, and HPLC revealed that there were no differences in individual anthocyanins or phenolic compounds between water status zones within the vineyard sites. There were some notable correlations between vineyard and grape composition variables, and spatial trends were observed to be qualitatively related for many of the variables. The MDS task revealed that wines from each vineyard were more affected by random fermentation effects than water status effects. This was confirmed by the DA; there were no differences between wines from the water status zones within vineyard sites for any attribute. Remotely sensed NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index) correlated reasonably well with a number of grape composition variables, as well as soil type. Resampling to a lower spatial resolution did not appreciably affect the strength of correlations, and corresponded to the information contained in the masked images, while maintaining the range of values of NDVI. This study showed that in cool climates, there is the potential for using precision viticulture techniques to understand the variability in vineyards, but the variable weather presents a challenge for understanding the driving forces of that variability.

Using GPS, GIS & remote sensing to understand Niagara Terroir

The focus of this study was to detennine whether soil texture and composition variables were related to vine water status and both yield components and grape composition, and whether multispectral high definition airborne imagery could be used to segregate zones in vineyards to target fruit of highest quality for premium winemaking. The study took place on a 10-ha commercial Riesling vineyard at Thirty Bench Winemakers, in Beamsville (Ontario). Results showed that Soil moisture and leaf'l' were temporally stable and related to berry composition and remotely-sensed data. Remote-sensing, through the calculation of vegetation indices, was particularly useful to predict vine vigor, yield, fruit maturity as well as berry monoterpene concentration; it could also clearly assist in making wines that are more representative ofthe cultivar used, and also wines that are a reflection of a specific terroir, since calculated vegetation indices were highly correlated to typical Riesling.

Flächenhafte und funktionale Analyse kleinräumiger standortbedingter Variationen der Grünlandvegetation und -produktivität

Zur Abbildung heterogener Standorteigenschaften und Ertragspotenziale werden zunehmend flächenhafte Daten nachgefragt. Insbesondere für Grünland, das häufig durch ausgeprägte Standortheterogenität gekennzeichnet ist, ergeben sich hohe Anforderungen an die Wiedergabequalität, denn die realen Verhältnisse sollen in praktikabler Weise möglichst exakt abgebildet werden. Außerdem können flächenhafte Daten genutzt werden, um Zusammenhänge zwischen teilflächenspezifischen Standorteigenschaften und Grünlandaspekten detaillierter zu analysieren und bisher nicht erkannte Wechselbeziehungen nachzuweisen. Für mitteleuropäisches Grünland lagen zu Beginn dieser Arbeit derartige räumliche Untersuchungen nicht oder nur in Teilaspekten vor. Diese Arbeit befasste sich mit der Analyse von Wirkungsbeziehungen zwischen Standort- und Grünlandmerkmalen auf einer im Nordhessischen Hügelland (Deutschland) weitgehend praxisüblicher bewirtschafteten 20 ha großen Weidefläche. Erhoben wurden als Standortfaktoren die Geländemorphologie, die Bodentextur, die Grundnährstoffgehalten sowie als Parameter des Grünlandbestandes die botanische Zusammensetzung, der Ertrag und die Qualitätsparameter. Sie wurden sowohl in einem 50 m-Raster ganzflächig, als auch auf drei 50x50 m großen Teilflächen in erhöhter Beprobungsdichte (6,25 m-Rasterweite) aufgenommen. Die relevanten Fragestellungen zielen auf die räumliche und zeitliche Variabilität von Grünlandbestandesparametern innerhalb von Grünlandflächen sowie deren Abhängigkeit von den Standortfaktoren. Ein weiterer Schwerpunkt war die Überprüfung der Frage, ob die reale Variabilität der Zielvariablen durch die Interpolierung der punktuell erfassten Daten wiedergegeben werden kann. Die Beziehungen zwischen Standort- und Grünlandmerkmalen wurden mit monokausalen und multivariaten Ansätzen untersucht. Die Ergebnisse ließen, unabhängig vom Jahreseinfluss, bereits bestimmte Zusammenhänge zwischen botanischer Zusammensetzung und Standort, auch auf dem untersuchten kleinen Maßstab innerhalb der Grünlandfläche, finden. Demzufolge können unterschiedliche Areale abgegrenzt und charakterisiert werden, die als Grundlage für Empfehlungen zur Ausweisung von Arealen zur teilspezifischen Bewirtschaftung erarbeitet wurden. Die Validierung der interpolierten Daten zeigte, dass die 50-m Rasterbeprobung nur eine begrenzte Wiedergabe der räumlichen Variabilität ermöglicht. Inwieweit derartige Beziehungen quantitativ genauer beschreibbar sind, bleibt auf Grund der verbliebenen unerklärten Varianz im Datensatz dieser Studie offen.

Application of biogas slurries from energy crops to arable soils and their impact on carbon and nitrogen dynamics

The use of renewable primary products as co-substrate or single substrate for biogas production has increased consistently over the last few years. Maize silage is the preferential energy crop used for fermentation due to its high methane (CH4) yield per hectare. Equally, the by-product, namely biogas slurry (BS), is used with increasing frequency as organic fertilizer to return nutrients to the soil and to maintain or increase the organic matter stocks and soil fertility. Studies concerning the application of energy crop-derived BS on the carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) mineralization dynamics are scarce. Thus, this thesis focused on the following objectives: I) The determination of the effects caused by rainfall patterns on the C and N dynamics from two contrasting organic fertilizers, namely BS from maize silage and composted cattle manure (CM), by monitoring emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O), carbon dioxide (CO2) and CH4 as well as leaching losses of C and N. II) The investigation of the impact of differences in soil moisture content after the application of BS and temperature on gaseous emissions (CO2, N2O and CH4) and leaching of C and N compounds. III) A comparison of BS properties obtained from biogas plants with different substrate inputs and operating parameters and their effect on C and N dynamics after application to differently textured soils with varying application rates and water contents. For the objectives I) and II) two experiments (experiment I and II) using undisturbed soil cores of a Haplic Luvisol were carried out. Objective III) was studied on a third experiment (experiment III) with disturbed soil samples. During experiment I three rainfall patterns were implemented including constant irrigation, continuous irrigation with periodic heavy rainfall events, and partial drying with rewetting periods. Biogas slurry and CM were applied at a rate of 100 kg N ha-1. During experiment II constant irrigation and an irrigation pattern with partial drying with rewetting periods were carried out at 13.5°C and 23.5°C. The application of BS took place either directly before a rewetting period or one week after the rewetting period stopped. Experiment III included two soils of different texture which were mixed with ten BS’s originating from ten different biogas plants. Treatments included low, medium and high BS-N application rates and water contents ranging from 50% to 100% of water holding capacity (WHC). Experiment I and II showed that after the application of BS cumulative N2O emissions were 4 times (162 mg N2O-N m-2) higher compared to the application of CM caused by a higher content of mineral N (Nmin) in the form of ammonium (NH4+) in the BS. The cumulative emissions of CO2, however, were on the same level for both fertilizers indicating similar amounts of readily available C after composting and fermentation of organic material. Leaching losses occurred predominantly in the mineral form of nitrate (NO3-) and were higher in BS amended soils (9 mg NO3--N m-2) compared to CM amended soils (5 mg NO3--N m-2). The rainfall pattern in experiment I and II merely affected the temporal production of C and N emissions resulting in reduced CO2 and enhanced N2O emissions during stronger irrigation events, but showed no effect on the cumulative emissions. Overall, a significant increase of CH4 consumption under inconstant irrigation was found. The time of fertilization had no effect on the overall C and N dynamics. Increasing temperature from 13.5°C to 23.5°C enhanced the CO2 and N2O emissions by a factor of 1.7 and 3.7, respectively. Due to the increased microbial activity with increasing temperature soil respiration was enhanced. This led to decreasing oxygen (O2) contents which in turn promoted denitrification in soil due to the extension of anaerobic microsites. Leaching losses of NO3- were also significantly affected by increasing temperature whereas the consumption of CH4 was not affected. The third experiment showed that the input materials of biogas plants affected the properties of the resulting BS. In particular the contents of DM and NH4+ were determined by the amount of added plant biomass and excrement-based biomass, respectively. Correlations between BS properties and CO2 or N2O emissions were not detected. Solely the ammonia (NH3) emissions showed a positive correlation with NH4+ content in BS as well as a negative correlation with the total C (Ct) content. The BS-N application rates affected the relative CO2 emissions (% of C supplied with BS) when applied to silty soil as well as the relative N2O emissions (% of N supplied with BS) when applied to sandy soil. The impacts on the C and N dynamics induced by BS application were exceeded by the differences induced by soil texture. Presumably, due to the higher clay content in silty soils, organic matter was stabilized by organo-mineral interactions and NH4+ was adsorbed at the cation exchange sites. Different water contents induced highest CO2 emissions and therefore optimal conditions for microbial activity at 75% of WHC in both soils. Cumulative nitrification was also highest at 75% and 50% of WHC whereas the relative N2O emissions increased with water content and showed higher N2O losses in sandy soils. In summary it can be stated that the findings of the present thesis confirmed the high fertilizer value of BS’s, caused by high concentrations of NH4+ and labile organic compounds such as readily available carbon. These attributes of BS’s are to a great extent independent of the input materials of biogas plants. However, considerably gaseous and leaching losses of N may occur especially at high moisture contents. The emissions of N2O after field application corresponded with those of animal slurries.

Plasmodiophora brassicae in its Environment

Plasmodiophora brassicae Wor. is viewed in this article from the standpoint of a highly evolved and successful organism, well fitted for the ecological niche that it occupies. Physical, chemical, and biological components of the soil environment are discussed in relation to their effects on the survival, growth, and reproduction of this microbe. It is evident that P. brassicae is well equipped by virtue of its robust resting spores for survival through many seasonal cycles. Germination is probably triggered as a result of signals initiated by root exudates. The resultant motile zoospore moves rapidly to the root hair surface and penetration and colonization follow. The short period between germination and penetration is one of greatest vulnerability for P. brassicae. In this phase survival is affected at the very least by soil texture and structure; its moisture; pH; calcium, boron, and nitrogen content; and the presence of active microbial antagonists. These factors influence the inoculum potential (sensu Garrett, 1956) and its viability and invasive capacity. There is evidence that these effects may also influence differentially the survival of some physiologic races of P. brassicae. Considering the interaction of P. brassicae with the soil environment from the perspective of its biological fitness is an unusual approach; most authors consider only the opportunities to destroy this organism. The approach adopted here is borne of several decades spent studying P. brassicae and the respect that has been engendered for it as a biological entity. This review stops at the point of penetration, although some of the implications of the environment for successful colonization are included because they form a continuum. Interactions with the molecular and biochemical cellular environment are considered in other sections in this special edition.

Simulated variations in atmospheric CO2 over a Wisconsin forest using a coupled ecosystem-atmosphere model

Ecosystem fluxes of energy, water, and CO2 result in spatial and temporal variations in atmospheric properties. In principle, these variations can be used to quantify the fluxes through inverse modelling of atmospheric transport, and can improve the understanding of processes and falsifiability of models. We investigated the influence of ecosystem fluxes on atmospheric CO2 in the vicinity of the WLEF-TV tower in Wisconsin using an ecophysiological model (Simple Biosphere, SiB2) coupled to an atmospheric model (Regional Atmospheric Modelling System). Model parameters were specified from satellite imagery and soil texture data. In a companion paper, simulated fluxes in the immediate tower vicinity have been compared to eddy covariance fluxes measured at the tower, with meteorology specified from tower sensors. Results were encouraging with respect to the ability of the model to capture observed diurnal cycles of fluxes. Here, the effects of fluxes in the tower footprint were also investigated by coupling SiB2 to a high-resolution atmospheric simulation, so that the model physiology could affect the meteorological environment. These experiments were successful in reproducing observed fluxes and concentration gradients during the day and at night, but revealed problems during transitions at sunrise and sunset that appear to be related to the canopy radiation parameterization in SiB2.

Atributos de qualidade de solos sob dois diferentes tipos de manejo no município de Ibiúna/SP, Brazil

Agricultural activity has direct consequences on the soil and water quality. Thus, assessing environmental impacts of this vital economic activity, through soil attribute analysis, is essential to the proposal of alternatives. The aim of this study was to analyze soil quality under different land management practices, conventional and organic. The study was carried out in a watershed of the Ibiuna municipality, SP, Brazil, an important supplier of agricultural products for the São Paulo metropolitan area. A hundred samples were collected, 20 in each type of land use: reforested areas, native vegetation, pasture, conventional cultivation and organic cultivation. The soil resistance to penetration, its pH (in water and KO), electrical conductivity, bulk density, particle density, porosity, soil color, soil texture and the percentages of carbon and nitrogen were analyzed. The data were statistically analyzed, searching for significant differences. The results of soil analysis showed great similarity between the organic and conventional culture, with no statistical differences. However, organic cultivation showed greater similarity to the soil of native vegetation in the percentage of carbon and nitrogen in soils compared to conventional culture. Thus, the discussion begins on a topic very little explored so far, and the results obtained should be further studied.

Selectivity of the herbicide flazasulfuron applied after postemergence in sugarcane (Saccharum spp. L.) crop

The selectivity of the herbicide flazasulfaron was evaluated when applied at two rates (50 and 100 g/ha) with and without surfactants (Aterbane or Agral at 0.2% v/v). The treatment was applied at early (three leaves) and late (five to six leaves) stages of the postemergence of sugarcane plants (var. RB845257) grown in two soils (sandy and clay) with good moisture status before and after application. Despite the toxicity symptoms, especially at the late stage with the higher rate of application in the sandy soil, the herbicide did not affect the growth nor the stalk yield. The presence of the surfactants had no effect on the toxicity symptoms.

Produção de matéria seca e absorção de nutrientes pelo milho em razão da saturação por bases e da adubação potássica

O trabalho foi conduzido em condições de casa de vegetação, com o objetivo de avaliar a resposta do milho à adubação potássica e à saturação do solo por bases, na produção de matéria seca e na absorção de nutrientes. O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado, com quatro repetições, em esquema fatorial 3x2x4, constituindo-se de três solos (Areia Quartzosa, Latossolo Vermelho-Escuro e Latossolo Roxo), dois valores de saturação por bases (40% e 70 %) e quatro teores de K no solo (0,5, 1,5, 3,0 e 6,0 mmol c dm-3). Para a calagem, foi utilizada mistura de carbonato de cálcio + carbonato de magnésio (PRNT = 103,3 %) na proporção de 4:1. A adubação básica constou de 200 mg kg-1 de N, 200 mg kg-1 de P e 5 mg kg-1 de Zn por vaso de 30 L, sendo o N parcelado em 2,48 g (83,7 mg kg-1) na semeadura e o restante em duas coberturas aos 25 e 40 dias após a emergência das plântulas (DAE). As doses de K utilizadas foram de 0, 3,62, 7,24 e 14,48 g de KCl por vaso. A semeadura foi realizada em 4/3/97, utilizando-se o milho cv. Zêneca 8392, mantendo-se uma planta/vaso durante 60 DAE. O K proporciona ganhos de matéria seca até teores de 1,5 mmol c dm-3 no solo. O aumento dos teores de K no solo resultam em queda na concentração de Ca e Mg na matéria seca do milho. A elevação da saturação por bases e respectivo aumento dos teores de Ca e Mg no solo reduzem a absorção de K pelo milho.

Nível crítico de fósforo no solo paraPanicum maximum Jacq. cv. Tanzânia

Foram avaliados os efeitos da aplicação de fósforo (P) em solo argiloso, de textura média e arenoso, sobre a produção de matéria seca de Panicum maximum Jacq. cv. Tanzânia. O ensaio foi conduzido em casa de vegetação, em vasos de plástico contendo 10 dm³ de solo, em esquema fatorial e delineamento inteiramente ao acaso. Após calagem para V = 70% e aplicação de 0, 35, 70, 105 e 140 mg/dm³ de P, o solo foi umedecido, e depois de 30 dias, secado e amostrado. O ensaio foi conduzido por 76 dias, a partir da emergência das plântulas, com o primeiro corte aos 48 dias, a 10 cm do solo, e o segundo, aos 76,rente ao solo. Com a aplicação de P houve aumento de produção de matéria seca, e o maior acréscimo ocorreu com a aplicação de 35 mg/dm³. A maior produção foi obtida no solo de textura média. O teor de P nas plantas estava adequado nos solos arenoso e argiloso. No de textura média, ele diminuiu com o aumento da produção,caracterizando efeito de diluição. Com aprodução relativa e o teor de P de cada solo, foi determinado o nível crítico de 38 mg/dm³ de P extraído por resina.

Variabilidade espacial de fatores de erosão em Latossolo Vermelho eutroférrico sob cultivo de cana-de-açúcar

Visando a avaliar a variabilidade espacial de fatores de erosão em Latossolo Vermelho eutroférrico, foram obtidas amostras do solo em intervalos regulares de 50 m, em forma de grid, totalizando 206 pontos de amostragem. Foram coletadas amostras nas profundidades de 0,0-0,2 m para a determinação da composição granulométrica e do conteúdo de matéria orgânica. Os fatores de erosão locais, como erosividade (R), erodibilidade (K), relevo (LS), perda de solo (A), potencial natural de erosão (PNE), risco de erosão (RE) e expectativa de erosão (EE), foram avaliados. A variabilidade do solo medida pelo coeficiente de variação registrou-se média para K, alta para o RE e EE e muito alta para A, LS e PNE. As variáveis estudadas apresentaram estrutura de dependência espacial com grau moderado para as variáveis K, A, PNE e RE, e forte para o LS e EE. Mapas obtidos por krigagem foram apresentados para descrição dos padrões de distribuição dos fatores de erosão na paisagem.

Análise multivariada e variabilidade espacial na estimativa da erodibilidade de um argissolo vermelho-amarelo

A erodibilidade é um fator de extrema importância na caracterização da perda de solo, representando os processos que regulam a infiltração de água e sua resistência à desagregação e o transporte de partículas. Assim, por meio da análise de dependência espacial dos componentes principais da erodibilidade (fator K), objetivou-se estimar a erodibilidade do solo em uma área de nascentes da microbacia do Córrego do Tijuco, Monte Alto-SP, e analisar a variabilidade espacial das variáveis granulométricas do solo ao longo do relevo. A erodibilidade média da área foi considerada alta, e a análise de agrupamento k-means apontou para uma formação de cinco grupos: no primeiro, os altos teores de areia grossa (AG) e média (AM) condicionaram sua distribuição nas áreas planas; o segundo, caracterizado pelo alto teor de areia fina (AF), distribui-se nos declives mais convexos; o terceiro, com altos teores de silte e areia muito fina (AMF), concentrou-se nos maiores declives e concavidades; o quarto, com maior teor de argila, seguiu as zonas de escoamento de água; e o quinto, com alto teor de matéria orgânica (MO) e areia grossa (AG), distribui-se nas proximidades da zona urbana. A análise de componentes principais (ACP) mostrou quatro componentes com 87,4 % das informações, sendo o primeiro componente principal (CP1) discriminado pelo transporte seletivo de partículas principalmente em zonas pontuais de maior declividade e acúmulo de sedimentos; o segundo (CP2), discriminado pela baixa coesão entre as partículas, mostra acúmulo da areia fina nas áreas de menor cota em toda a área de concentração de água; o terceiro (CP3), discriminado pela maior agregação do solo, concentra-se principalmente nas bases de grandes declives; e o quarto (CP4), discriminado pela areia muito fina, distribui-se ao longo das declividades nas maiores altitudes. Os resultados sugerem o comportamento granulométrico do solo, que se mostra suscetível ao processo erosivo devido às condições texturais superficiais e à movimentação do relevo.

Lixiviação de potássio em função da textura e da disponibilidade do nutriente no solo

O manejo correto da adubação potássica pode minimizar perdas assim como evitar o esgotamento de K do solo. Objetivou-se estudar a dinâmica do K no perfil do solo em função do teor de argila e do teor do nutriente resultantes da adubação da soja. Foram coletados solos de texturas média e argilosa, que vinham sendo adubados com 0, 60, 120, e 180 kg ha-1 de K2O na soja por 6 anos. O experimento foi conduzido em casa de vegetação, em tubos de PVC estratificados nas profundidades de 0-5, 5-10, 10-20, e 20-40 cm. Na superfície das colunas, aplicaram-se mais 80 kg ha-1 de K2O. Durante 16 semanas, foi aplicada, semanalmente, água em quantidade equivalente a 100 mm de chuva. em cada aplicação, o volume de solução percolada foi determinado, assim como as quantidades de K contidas nessa solução. Após a desmontagem das colunas de solo, foram determinados os teores de K trocável e não-trocável nas diferentes profundidades. A percolação de K foi maior no solo de textura argilosa, que tinha mais K disponível devido ao maior efeito residual da adubação potássica anterior. A intensidade de lixiviação foi proporcional ao teor de K disponível, mas inicialmente a lixiviação foi mais intensa no solo mais arenoso, decrescendo com o tempo. No argiloso, as perdas foram mais constantes. Houve proporcionalidade entre teor inicial e lixiviação no perfil do solo, nas duas formas de K e nos dois tipos de solo. Conclui-se que o efeito residual da adubação potássica aumentou as quantidades de K percolado. A movimentação de K no perfil do solo teve boa relação com o teor inicial de K no solo, resultante da adubação potássica anterior nos dois tipos de solo. A passagem de K considerado não-trocável para trocável foi rápida e influenciou na lixiviação.

Crescimento radicular de plântulas de milho afetado pela resistência do solo à penetração

A resistência do solo à penetração é relacionada com a textura, compactação e umidade do solo. No presente trabalho se estudou o efeito da interação desses fatores sobre o crescimento de raízes de milho. Materiais de solo com 22, 30, 34, 41 e 48% de argila foram acondicionados em tubos de PVC de 10 cm com 4,3 cm de diâmetro interno, nas densidades globais de 1,07, 1,18, 1,36 e 1,53 g cm-3, em três tensões de água: -0,034, -0,106 e -0,640 MPa. Plântulas de milho foram cultivadas nos tubos por 48 horas. Quando a densidade do solo é baixa, a textura tem papel preponderante no crescimento radicular. Esse efeito é menor à medida que aumenta a densidade global. O aumento da resistência do solo à penetração causa diminuição no comprimento e número de raízes seminais adventícias; a raiz seminal primária mostra menor capacidade de penetração do que as raízes seminais adventícias. Resistências do solo à penetração da ordem de 1,3 MPa reduzem à metade o crescimento das raízes seminais adventícias do milho.