Abelardo Antônio de Assunção Montenegro

Management of Atriplex Nummularia Lindl. in a Salt Affected Soil in a Semi Arid Region of Brazil

This study aims to investigate the behavior of Atriplex nummularia under field conditions, including its growth, periodic cuttings, salt extraction, and soil chemical properties monitored for 16 months. Three treatments were evaluated: soil cultivated with Atriplex pruned at 6 and 12 months after transplanting (MAT); soil cultivated with plants that were harvested only at the end of the experiment (16 MAT); and a control (uncultivated soil) with four replications. Soil samplings were taken at 0, 6, 12, and 16 MAT. The samples were taken at depths of 0–20, 20–40, 40–60, and 60–80 cm. Biometric variables for growth were monitored monthly. The shoot was divided into leaves, thin stems (≤3 mm diameter), and thick stems (>3 mm diameter) to determine its content of Ca, Mg, Na, K, and Cl. We concluded that pruning regime for Atriplex was efficient mainly because it stimulated regrowth of less lignified material (leaves and stems ≤3 mm). We found that elements extracted by plant tissue can be quantified accurately, making them valuable indicators of the efficiency of the recovery process. The use of the Atriplex is recommended because the the possibility of revegetating areas inhospitable to most species used in conventional farming.This study aims to investigate the behavior of Atriplex nummularia under field conditions, including its growth, periodic cuttings, salt extraction, and soil chemical properties monitored for 16 months. Three treatments were evaluated: soil cultivated with Atriplex pruned at 6 and 12 months after transplanting (MAT); soil cultivated with plants that were harvested only at the end of the experiment (16 MAT); and a control (uncultivated soil) with four replications. Soil samplings were taken at 0, 6, 12, and 16 MAT. The samples were taken at depths of 0–20, 20–40, 40–60, and 60–80xa0cm. Biometric variables for growth were monitored monthly. The shoot was divided into leaves, thin stems (≤3xa0mm diameter), and thick stems (>3xa0mm diameter) to determine its content of Ca, Mg, Na, K, and Cl. We concluded that pruning regime for Atriplex was efficient mainly because it stimulated regrowth of less lignified material (leaves and stems ≤3xa0mm). We found that elements extracted by plant tissue can be quantified accuratel...

Temporal variability of soil water content under different surface conditions in the semiarid region of the Pernambuco state

As chuvas na regiao semiarida de Pernambuco caracterizam-se pela irregularidade na distribuicao no tempo e no espaco, dificultando expressivamente a agricultura de sequeiro na regiao. Com base nessa consideracao, este trabalho objetivou avaliar temporalmente o perfil do conteudo de agua no solo do semiarido de Pernambuco, de modo a investigar o efeito de diferentes condicoes de superficie na variacao do conteudo de agua volumetrico do solo, bem como na produtividade do feijoeiro em regime de sequeiro. Para monitoramento do conteudo de agua no solo foram implantadas cinco parcelas experimentais, com 4,5xa0m de largura por 11xa0m de comprimento, em um Argissolo Amarelo. Foram adotados os seguintes tratamentos nas parcelas experimentais: vegetacao natural; feijoeiro consorciado com palma forrageira; feijoeiro cultivado morro abaixo; feijoeiro cultivado em nivel, com cobertura morta e barramentos em pedras; e solo descoberto. Em cada parcela foram instalados oito tubos de acesso de PVC para determinacao do perfil do conteudo de agua no solo, nas profundidades de 0,20 e 0,40xa0m, utilizando sonda de neutrons. A condicao de superficie influenciou expressivamente a variacao do conteudo de agua no solo tanto no periodo seco como no chuvoso. Verificou-se, tambem, que a utilizacao de cobertura morta, associada ao emprego de barramentos em pedra, proporcionou valores mais elevados de conteudo de agua no solo e incrementou a produtividade do feijoeiro de sequeiro.

Prediction of skin surface soil permeability by infrared thermography: a soil flume experiment

This study presents a new technique to map soil surface permeability using infrared thermography, and to identify preferential flow. Laboratory tests were carried out using a soil flume where different scenarios were tested. Heated water was used to create a temperature gradient on the soil surface and high-resolution soil surface thermal imaging were obtained using a portable infrared camera. The technique was tested using soils with different permeability. The proposed technique successfully allows us to identify different soil surface permeability and to visualise preferential flows.