Maria Sonia Lopes da Silva

Adensamento subsuperficial em solos do semi-árido: processos geológicos e/ou pedogenéticos

In the Low Plateaus of Pernambuco State, soils with subsurface compaction are found, which causes limitations in their use and consequently decreases agricultural productivity. With the objective to identify the occurrence of geological (lithological discontinuity) and/or pedogenetical processes involved in the genesis of this compaction, three representative soil profiles were chosen, distributed in a topographical sequence, located in the low plateaus in the municipality of Petrolina in semiarid zone of the State of Pernambuco - Brazil. Determination of granulometric distribution, sand fraction morphoscopy, sedimentologic parameters, density, porosity, calculation of sand and silt fractions free from clay and the relationships between fine sand, average sand, very fine sand/total sand and fine clay/total clay were studied. The results indicate that the subsurface compaction has not resulted from geological processes or due to lithological discontinuity, since the parameters studied did not present variations in depth, which indicates the occurrence of these processes.

CARACTERIZAÇÃO MICROMORFOLÓGICA E CONSIDERAÇÕES SOBRE A GÊNESE DE SOLOS DE TABULEIRO DO SEMI-ÁRIDO DO BRASIL

A detailed macro- and micromorphological investigation was carried out in two Ultisol (Argissolo Amarelo) and one Aridisol (Planossolo Natrico) profile from a tableland surface of the San Francisco river basin in Petrolina, Pernambuco State, Northeastern Brazil. The study aimed to characterize the soils micromorphologically, evaluating their pedogenesis to help understand the soil diversity in the landscape. Results indicate that the three soils were developed from Post-Cretaceous sediments mixed with Pre-Cambrian crystalline rock weathered materials and, also, most probably, with materials from old alluvial terraces of the San Francisco river. The differences among the three profiles were caused by a certain heterogeneity of the parent material but, mainly, due to the soil position in the relief that entailed differences in internal drainage. There occurs a pedogenetic process of iron concretion degradation, inherited from the parent material, to plinthitic mottles, which were, eventually, dissipated in the soil matrix, causing losses from the soil system.

Uso Atual e Quantificação de Áreas Degradadas na Margem Direita do Rio São Francisco no Município de Curaçá-BA (Current Use and Quantification of Degraded Areas at the Right Riverside of São Francisco River at Curaçá Municipality (Bahia, Brazil))

A paisagem do Submedio do Vale do Sao Francisco tem, ao longo dos anos, passado por constantes alteracoes devido as atividades antropicas, onde a vegetacao original da Caatinga hiperxerofila foi gradativamente sendo eliminada pelo processo extrativista e parte cedendo espaco ao processo de uso agricola. Dessa maneira, muitas areas sem aptidao ou de aptidao restrita para o uso agricola sao cultivadas, aumentando o risco de degradacao pelo efeito da erosao que atinge, inclusive, a vegetacao ciliar. A recuperacao desta vegetacao e um grande desafio, haja vista as dificuldades de conciliar a garantia do sustento das familias ribeirinhas e de torna-las parte integrante deste processo de reconstituicarrro da mata ciliar. O objetivo geral deste estudo foi avaliar o uso e ocupacao dos solos e integrar e fortalecer estudos ambientais para a preservacao da vegetacao ciliar. Tambem visou contribuir com a recuperacao de areas degradadas, florestamento, reflorestamento e ecossistemas agrossilviculturais, encaminhados ao Programa de Revitalizacao da Bacia do Rio Sao Francisco, para os municipios de Curaca no Estado da Bahia. Inicialmente foram realizados estudos basicos que indicaram o municipio de Curaca apresentou a maior percentagem de areas degradadas (13,21%). As areas com vegetacao de Caatinga arbustiva se destacam na maior parte do municipio estudado. De um modo geral, pode-se dizer que no municipio, praticamente toda a vegetacao ciliar foi retirada e que a grande maioria dos solos relacionados aos sedimentos fluviais encontra-se em via ou com elevado grau de salinizacao e degradacao.