Luiz Antonio de Mendonça Costa

Atributos físicos do solo e produtividade do milho sob sistemas de manejo e adubações

No-tillage system is an efficient technique in control of soil erosion, when compared with conventional tillage, however, some studies indicate higher compaction under no-tillage, mainly in the surface layer. Strategies that increase the organic matter content, as crop rotation and organic fertilization, can be used to solve the soil compaction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of soil managements (crop succession and crop rotation) and fertilization (organic, mineral and organic-mineral) in the physical properties of the soil, under no-tillage system, from 2006 to 2008. The evaluations were carried out in February 2007, after the summer corn harvest, and in September 2008, after the winter corn harvest. Crop rotation decreased the soil density and soil resistance to penetration and increased the macroporosity and total porosity. The use of organic sources of fertilization did not affect any of the physical attributes of soil. The yield of summer corn was highest in succession crop and mineral fertilization, however, in the winter, there was no difference between the soil managements and among the fertilizations.

Produção agroecológica de mudas e desenvolvimento a campo de couve-chinesa

The research was carried out in two stages: the production of seedlings of chinese cabbage in trays with subsequent transplantation for the field, aiming to evaluate the performance of different substrates on the culture development. For this reason it was determined, both at the stage of formation of the seedlings, as in adult plants the length of the aerial part, number of leaves, root length, dry mass of the aerial part, root dry mass and diameter of the root collar. The experiment was conducted in a protected environment with the following treatments: T0 Plantmax substrate® (HA); T1: 100% compound; T2: 95% compost + 2.5% sand + 2.5% rock powder; T3: 90% compost + 3% sand + 7% powdered rock and T4: 85% compost + 6% sand + 9% rock powder. In the production of seedlings, the organic substrates formulated with 100% and 85% compound, had better results, the 15 and 28, respectively. The results of field have shown that the addition of rock powder is a determinant factor in the performance of seedlings, with the best results in the plots cultivated with seedlings obtained in the substrates formulated with 7 and 9% of basalt powder.