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

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Soil-lime reactions: the behaviour of a Brazilian red soil.

A red tropical soil was selected, with the main purpose of investigating how it reacted with calcitic and dolomitic limes, and which products are formed. Under normal (23-28oC) or slightly accelerated (40o and 60oC) conditions there is a rapid and substantial interaction between lime (calcitic or dolomitic) and the soil. The reactions take place in two steps, one before 7 g lime/100 g soil, and the other after 8 g lime/100 g of soil, either for calcitic or dolomitic lime. A morphologically discrete reaction product (tri-calcium aluminate hexahydrate) was found in the study, and in spite of the difference in morphology the product is shown to be the same by XRD for all compositions and T.-J.M.H.

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.

The use of CPT to evaluate the effect of helical pile installation in tropical soils

The uplift capacity of helical piles depends on the shear resistance of the soil above the helical plates. During helical pile installation, the soil traversed by the plates are sheared and displaced laterally, and consequently the soil structure is disturbed. Considering this fact, the aim of this paper is presenting the effect of helical piles installation in the soil mass by means of CPT tests carried out close to the soil cylinder above the pile helices. The CPT tests were performed at the CRHEA site from the Sao Carlos School of Engineering, Sao Carlos city, inland of Sao Paulo State, Brazil. In addition, an interpretation of CPT tests data for stratigrafic logging are presented and compared to Standard Penetration Tests (SPT) carried out at this site. This study showed that the CPT sleeve friction fs data were affected by the installation of helical pile in this particular tropical soil site. © 2013 Taylor & Francis Group.

Concentrations of Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn in tropical soils amended with sewage sludge and composted sewage sludge

Sewage sludge may be used as an agricultural fertilizer, but the practice has been criticized because sludge may contain trace elements and pathogens. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of total and pseudototal extractants of Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn, and to compare the results with the bioavailable concentrations of these elements to maize and sugarcane in a soil that was amended with sewage sludge for 13 consecutive years and in a separate soil that was amended a single time with sewage sludge and composted sewage sludge. The 13-year amendment experiment involved 3 rates of sludge (5, 10, and 20 t ha-1). The one-time amendment experiment involved treatments reflecting 50, 100, and 200 % of values stipulated by current legislation. The metal concentrations extracted by aqua regia (AR) were more similar to those obtained by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 3052 than to those obtained by EPA3051, and the strongest correlation was observed between pseudo(total) concentrations extracted by AR and EPA3052 and bioavailable concentrations obtained by Mehlich III. An effect of sewage sludge amendment on the concentrations of heavy metals was only observed in samples from the 13-year experiment. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

Sorption and desorption of phosphate on biochar and biochar-soil mixtures

The term biochar refers to materials with diverse chemical, physical and physicochemical characteristics that have potential as a soil amendment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the P sorption/desorption properties of various slow biochars and one fast pyrolysis biochar and to determine how a fast pyrolysis biochar influences these properties in a degraded tropical soil. The fast pyrolysis biochar was a mixture of three separate biochars: sawdust, elephant grass and sugar cane leaves. Three other biochars were made by slow pyrolysis from three Amazonian tree species (Lacre, Ingá and Embaúba) at three temperatures of formation (400 °C, 500 °C, 600 °C). Inorganic P was added to develop sorption curves and then desorbed to develop desorption curves for all biochar situations. For the slow pyrolysis, the 600 oC biochar had a reduced capacity to sorb P (4-10 times less) relative to those biochars formed at 400 °C and 500 °C. Conversely, biochar from Ingá desorbed the most P. The fast pyrolysis biochar, when mixed with degraded tropical mineral soil, decreased the soil's P sorption capacity by 55% presumably because of the high soluble, inorganic P prevalent in this biochar (909 mg P/kg of biochar). Phosphorus desorption from the fast pyrolysis biochar/soil mixture not only exhibited a common desorption curve but also buffered the soil solution at a value of ca. 0.2 mg/L. This study shows the diversity in P chemistry that can be expected when biochar is a soil amendment and suggests the potential to develop biochars with properties to meet specific objectives. © 2013 British Society of Soil Science.

Soil microbial biomass after three-year consecutive composted tannery sludge amendment

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Soil microbial properties after 5 years of consecutive amendment with composted tannery sludge

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Effects of litter manipulation in a tropical Eucalyptus plantation on leaching of mineral nutrients, dissolved organic nitrogen and dissolved organic carbon

Although many studies have shown that soil solution chemistry can be a reliable indicator of biogeochemical cycling in forest ecosystems, the effects of litter manipulations on the fluxes of dissolved elements in gravitational soil solutions have rarely been investigated. We estimated the fluxes of NH4-N, NO3-N, K, Ca, Mg, Na, Cl, dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) over the first two years after re-planting Eucalyptus trees in the coastal area of Congo. Two treatments were replicated in two blocks after clear-cutting 7-year-old stands: in treatment R, all the litter above the mineral soil was removed before planting, and in a double slash (DS) treatment, the amount of harvest residues was doubled. The soil solutions were sampled down to a depth of 4 m and the water fluxes were estimated using the Hydrus 1D model parameterized from soil moisture measurements in 4 plots. Isotopic and spectroscopic analytical techniques were used to assess the changes in dissolved organic matter (DOM) properties throughout the transfer in the soil. The first year after planting, the fluxes of NH4-N, K, Ca, Mg, Na, Cl and DOC in the topsoil of the DS treatment were 2-5 times higher than in R, which showed that litter was a major source of dissolved nutrients. Nutrient fluxes in gravitational solutions decreased sharply in the second year after planting, irrespective of the soil depth, as a result of intense nutrient uptake by Eucalyptus trees. Losses of dissolved nutrients were noticeably low in these Eucalyptus plantations despite a low cation exchange capacity, a coarse soil texture and large amounts of harvest residues left on-site at the clear cut in the DS treatment. All together, these results clarified the strong effect of litter manipulation observed on eucalypt growth in Congolese sandy soils. DOM fluxes, as well as changes in delta C-13, C:N and aromaticity of DOM throughout the soil profile showed that the organic compounds produced in the litter layer were mainly consumed by microorganisms or retained in the topsoil. Below a depth of 15 cm, most of the DOC and the DON originated from the first 2 cm of the soil and the exchanges between soil solutions and soil organic matter were low. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Disponibilidade de fósforo em solo tratado com resíduos urbanos e industriais sob sistema de plantio direto cultivado com soja

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Agricultura) - FCA

Avaliação da resistência ao cisalhamento de um solo tropical não saturado

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

Comportamento das curvas de saturação da água e LNAPL em solo da formação Rio Claro

Pós-graduação em Geociências e Meio Ambiente - IGCE

Characterization of Soil Surface Roughness Effects on Runoff and Soil Erosion Rates under Simulated Rainfall

This study aims at identifying the influence of soil surface roughness from small to large aggregates (random roughness) on runoff and soil loss and to investigate the interaction with soil surface seal formation. Bulk samples of a silty clay loam soil were sieved to four aggregate-size classes of 3 to 12, 12 to 20, 20 to 45, 45 to 100 mm, and packed in soil trays set at a 5% slope. Rainfall simulations using an oscillating nozzle simulator were conducted for 90 min at an average rainfall intensity of 50.2 mm h(-1). Soil surface roughness was measured using an instantaneous profile laser scanner and surface sealing was studied by macroscopic analysis of epoxy impregnated soil samples. The rainfall simulations revealed longer times to initiate runoff with increasing soil surface roughness. For random roughness levels up to 6 mm, a decrease in final runoff rate with increasing roughness was observed. This can be attributed to a decreased breakdown of the larger roughness elements on rougher surfaces, thus keeping infiltration rate high. For a random roughness larger than 6 mm, a greater final runoff rate was observed. This was caused by the creation of a thick depositional seal in the concentrated flow areas, thus lowering the infiltration rates. Analysis of impregnated soil sample blocks confirmed the formation of a structural surface seal on smooth surfaces, whereas thick depositional seals were visible in the depressional areas of rougher surfaces. Therefore, from our observations it can be learned that soil surface roughness as formed by the presence of different aggregate sizes reduces runoff but that its effect diminishes due to aggregate breakdown and the formation of thick depositional seals in the case of rough soil surfaces. Sediment concentration increased with increasing soil surface roughness, due to runoff concentration in flow paths. Nevertheless, final soil loss rates were comparable for all soil roughness categories, indicating that random roughness is only important in influencing runoff rates and the time to initiate runoff, but not in influencing sediment export through soil loss rates.

The effects of land use and soil management on the physical properties of an Oxisol in Southeast Brazil

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

EX-SITU BIOREMEDIATION OF BRAZILIAN SOIL CONTAMINATED WITH PLASTICIZERS PROCESS WASTES

The aim of this research was to evaluate the bioremediation of a soil contaminated with wastes from a plasticizers industry, located in Sao Paulo, Brazil. A 100-kg soil sample containing alcohols, adipates and phthalates was treated in an aerobic slurry-phase reactor using indigenous and acclimated microorganisms from the sludge of a wastewater treatment plant of the plasticizers industry (11gVSS kg(-1) dry soil), during 120 days. The soil pH and temperature were not corrected during bioremediation; soil humidity was corrected weekly to maintain 40%. The biodegradation of the pollutants followed first-order kinetics; the removal efficiencies were above 61% and, among the analyzed plasticizers, adipate was removed to below the detection limit. Biological molecular analysis during bioremediation revealed a significant change in the dominant populations initially present in the reactor.