Recuperação de solos degradados na exploração mineral de cassiterita: biomassa microbiana e atividade da desidrogenase

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

Aproveitamento do nitrogênio (15N) da crotalária e do milheto pelo milho sob plantio direto em Latossolo Vermelho de Cerrado

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

Dynamics of aggregate stability influenced by soil management and crop residues

The type of tillage and crop systems used can either degrade or cause a recovery of the structure of agricultural soils. The objective of this study was to determine the structural stability of the soil using mean weight diameter (MWD) of soil aggregates in three different periods of a succession of crops consisting of beans/cover plants/maize under no tillage (NT) and conventional tillage (CT) management systems. Soils were sampled at 0- to 5-cm and 5- to 15-cm depths in three periods (P1, P2, P3): 1) November 2002 (spring/summer), 2) April 2003 (beginning of autumn), and 3) December 2003 (end of spring/beginning of summer). Aggregate stability was determined by wet sieving. The effects of the tillage systems, vegetal residues, and sampling depths on the structural stability of the aggregates were assessed and then related to organic matter (OM) contents. Aggregate stability showed temporal variation as a function of OM contents and sampling period. No tillage led to high MWD values in all study periods. The lowest MWD values and OM contents were observed 4 months after the management of the residues of cover plants. This finding is consistent with the fact that at the time of the samplings, most of the OM had already mineralized. The residues of sunn-hemp, millet, and spontaneous vegetation showed similar effects on soil aggregate stability.

Leaching of nitrate and ammonium from cover crop straws as affected by rainfall

Nitrogen (N) mineralization dynamics in no-till systems is affected, among other factors, by N amount and quality in the mulch and by climatic conditions. Leaching of NO3-N and NH4-N from six plant species used as soil cover crops in tropical environments were evaluated when the straw was submitted to rainfall after chemical desiccation. Millet (Pennisetum glaucum), guinea sorghum (Sorghum vulgare), black oat (Avena strigosa), triticale (Triticum secale), Indian hemp (Crotalaria juncea), and brachiaria (Brachiaria decumbens) were grown in a greenhouse, in Botucatu-SP, Brazil. Forty-five days after emergence, the plants were cut at the root collar, oven-dried, and submitted to simulated rainfalls of 4.4, 8.7, 17.04, 34.9, and 69.8 mm, considering an amount of straw equivalent to 8 t ha(-1) of dry matter. The amounts of N-NO3- extracted from the straw by rainwater were very small. However, accumulated rainfall around 70 mm caused ammonium leaching ranging from 2.5 to 9.5kg ha(-1), depending on the species. Plant residues of triticale and black oat (grasses) and Indian hemp (legume) showed high N leaching intensity with the first rains after chemical desiccation. The amount of N leached from straw was highly correlated with N tissue content.

Persistência e liberação de macronutrientes e silício da fitomassa de crotalária em função da fragmentação

The persistence of straw, as well as the dynamics of nutrients release of it, are important aspects to consider in the choice of plants for composition of crop rotations in a no tillage system. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate the decomposition rate and macronutrients and silicon (Si) release from sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea L.) phytomass, as a function of management, with and without fragmentation. A randomized blocks design, with four replications, in a factorial 2x6, constituted by two aboveground phytomass management after 75 days after emergence (with and without mechanical fragmentation) and six sampling times (0, 18, 32, 46, 74 and 91 days after management (DAM)), were evaluated the decomposition rate and nutrient release from sunn hemp biomass. The mechanical fragmentation of sunn hemp straw did not change the decomposition and macronutrients release. The maximum release rates occurred 0-18 DAM. Potassium is the most rapidly available nutrient, while the silicon is more slowly released to the ground. Over time there has been increasing Si content in the straw.

Root growth and nutrient accumulation in cover crops as affected by soil compaction

Crop rotation using cover crops with vigorous root systems may be a tool to manage soils with some degree of compaction. Root and shoot growth as well as nutrient accumulation by summer species suitable for crop rotation in tropical areas were studied at different subsoil compaction levels. Crotalaria juncea (Indian hemp), Crotalaria spectabilis (showy crotalaria), Helianthus annuus (sunflower), Pennisetum americanum (pearl millet) and Sorghum bicolor (guinea sorghum) were grown for 40 days in pots 33.5 cm high with 10 cm internal diameter. Soil in the pots had uniform bulkdensity of 1.25 Mg m-3 for the top and bottom 15 cm sections. Bulk densities of 1.31, 1.43, 1.58 and 1.70 Mg m-3 Were established in the 3.5 cm middle section. H. annuus and P. americanum had the highest early macronutrient accumulation. The grasses S. bicolor and P. americanum yielded twice as much shoot dry matter as the other species. Root growth generally decreased with increasing soil bulk density with C. spectabilis less affected than other species. Although the grasses were more sensitive to high soil penetration resistance, they showed higher root length densities at all compaction levels. P. americanum had the highest potential to be used as cover crop due to its high root density at high soil penetration resistances, vegetative vigour and ability to accumulate macronutrients. © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Atributos físicos do solo em diferentes condições de cobertura vegetal em área de plantio direto

The use of cover crops in the soil causes changes in soil attributes influencing in a series of hydro-physical processes, which also modify the ability of soil to support the many activities that it is intended. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of cover crops on physical attributes of the soil. For this, an experiment was carried out on a Typic Hapludox, Jaboticabal State, Brazil, using cover crops of millet, sunn hemp, jack bean, lab-lab and black velvet bean in no-tillage and fallow area (spontaneous vegetation). The characteristics evaluated were the bulk density, macroporosity, microporosity, total porosity, aggregate stability, penetration resistance and organic matter. The incorporation of cover crops has proved to be a beneficial practice for the physical attributes of the soil, allowing a greater aggregate stability compared to fallow in the depth of 0-0.05 m. All cover crops presented values of soil penetration resistance below the critical value of 2 MPa.

Phosphorus and potassium budget in the soil-plant system in crop rotations under no-till

Soil management and crop rotations can affect P and K budget in soil, decreasing losses, and increasing fertilizer use efficiency. The P and K budget in the soil-plant system at depths up to 60. cm was studied for different soil managements and crop rotations under no-till for three years in Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil. The investigated crop rotations were: triticale (X Triticosecale) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus) cropped in autumn-winter; pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), forage sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), and Sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea) were grown in the spring, as well as an additional treatment with chiseling followed by a fallow period; and soybean (Glycini max, L., Merril) was cropped in the summer. Each year triticale and sunflower were grown in plots and pearl millet, forage sorghum, Sunn hemp and of chisel/fallow in sub-plots. The triticale/millet rotation led to the largest decrease in available P within the 0-0.60. m layer of the soil profile and the largest K increase within the 0-0.05. m layer. Potassium mobility in the soil profile and the increases in the available K content in the 0.40-0.60. m layer were independent of the management system. Crop rotations with or without chiseling are not effective in preventing soil P losses. There is considerable K leaching below 0.60. m, but chiseling and the use of high K accumulating plants as triticale results in lower K losses. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Soil organic matter and physical attributes affected by crop rotation under no-till

Growing cover crops in systems under no tillage affects different pools of soil organic matter, and eventually soil physical attributes are modified. The objective of this study was to evaluate changes in soil organic matter and their relationship with soil physical attributes as affected by plant species grown in rotation with soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] under no-till for 3 yr. Crop rotations included grain sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], ruzigrass [Urochloa ruziziensis (R. Germ, and CM. Evard) Crins] and sorghum mixed with ruzigrass, all grown in fall/winter, followed by pearl millet [Pennisetum americanum (L.) Leeke], sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea L.) and sorghum-sudangrass [S. bicolor × S. sudanense (Piper) Stapf] grown during the spring, plus a fallow check plot. Soybean was grown as the summer crop. Millet and sorghum-sudangrass cropped in spring showed higher root and shoot production as spring cropping. In fall/winter, sorghum mixed with ruzigrass yielded higher phytomass compared with sole cropping. Soil physical attributes and organic matter fractioning were positively affected by cropping millet and sorghum-sudangrass whereas intermediate effects were observed after sunn hemp. Maintaining fallow in spring had negative effects on soil organic matter and physical properties. Ruzigrass and sorghum mixed with ruzigrass cropped in fall/winter resulted in better soil quality. Spring cover crops were more efficient in changing soil bulk density, porosity, and aggregates down to 0 to 10 cm; on the other hand, fall/winter cropping showed significant effects on bulk density in the uppermost soil layer. Total C levels in soil were increased after a 3-yr rotation period due to poor initial physical conditions. Fractions of particulate organic C, microbial C, and C in macroaggregates were the most affected by crop rotations, and showed high relation with improved soil physical attributes (porosity, density, and aggregates larger than 2 mm). © Soil Science Society of America, All rights reserved.

Avaliação do sistema radicular da soja sob sistemas de manejo do solo

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Resposta de plantas de cobertura a doses de silício e estresse hídrico

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Emissão de gases de efeito estufa em áreas de sistema semeadura direta com aportes diferenciados de carbono e nitrogênio

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Agricultura) - FCA

Sucessão de culturas e adubação nitrogenada em cana soca: efeitos nos atributos químicos do solo, na produtividade e na qualidade da cultura

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Ciência do Solo) - FCAV

Agregação do solo e ocorrência de fungos micorrízicos arbusculares em sistemas de rotação de culturas

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Ciência do Solo) - FCAV

Indicadores de qualidade de um Latossolo Vermelho após onze anos em sistemas de cultivos

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)