Stoécio Malta Ferreira Maia

Biomassa microbiana e matéria orgânica leve em solos sob sistemas agrícolas orgânico e convencional na Chapada da Ibiapaba - CE

Several studies reveal that the substitution of native vegetation by agricultural systems results in decreases in the C and N soil organic matter pools. Aiming to test the hypothesis that management practices favoring organic residue inputs promote increases in the most sensitive organic matter pools, the present study intended to study areas of an organic management system of acerola fruit production and a conventional cultivation area cropped with carrot and beet in crop rotation with corn. These areas belong to the Farm Amway Nutrilite do Brasil and Central Pivot Farmers Association, respectively, both in the Chapada da Ibiapaba, Ceara State, Brazil. A pasture area on the former was also selected. Areas under native forest, located near the cultivation areas, were sampled. Samples of a Quartzipsamment soil were collected from the depths 0-5 and 5-15 cm. The total soil organic C, microbial C and N (Cmic and Nmic), light organic matter C and N (Cmol and Nmol) and the mineralizable C were determined. An accumulation of 0.0117 Mg ha-1 was observed in the Nmic stock in the organic system soil in comparison to the native forest s, representing an increase of 585% in the Nmic stock. In addition, there was an accumulation of 0.211 Mg ha-1 in the Cmic stock in the pasture area, which represented an increase of 514.6% in these pools. On the other hand, Cmic stocks in the conventional system were reduced by 59 and 53% in the 0-5 and 5-15 cm layers, respectively, in relation to the native forest. In the upper soil layer, the organic systems presented an increment of 106% in the Cmol stocks, while in the conventional system a reduction of 31% was observed in the same organic matter pool. The results obtained demonstrated that soil management in the areas under organic cultivation with acerola fruit and pasture contributed to the maintenance and recovery of the C and N microbial biomass and the light organic matter contents. The increments and/or reductions of C and N in the MB and LOM pools, compared to the native forest, were proportionally larger than those of the total organic C and N stocks, mainly in the area under conventional system cultivation. This observation indicates that these compartments can be considered sensitive indicators of soil management alterations. In conclusion, the organic management systems and pasture areas represent important management strategies that should be considered for the conservation and/or increase of the soil organic matter and, consequently, for the improvement of the soil quality and C sequestration in the Chapada da Ibiapaba region.

Qualidade do solo na cultura do cajueiro anão precoce cultivado sob diferentes sistemas de manejo

Brazil is the most important exporter of cashew nut in the world. The production is concentrated in the northeast region, which accounts for 97 % of the national production. However, in the recent years the cashew nut production has been declining, specially in the state of Ceara, mainly due to inadequate soil management. The aim of this study was to evaluate alterations in the physical and chemical properties of an Ultisol submitted to distinct soil management practices and the development of dwarf cashew trees in a field experiment. The following soil management systems were evaluated: disc harrow + weeding, mechanic mowing + weeding, hand mowing + localized weeding, vegetal cover + localized weeding, vegetal cover + organic residue cover and herbicide use. A split-plot design arranged in randomized blocks was used, considering the different management systems as plots and soil depths as split-plots. Three replications were used. The following soil physical properties were analyzed: granulometry, bulk density, particle density, soil penetration resistance, hydraulic conductivity, soil porosity, as well as chemical properties (exchangeable elements, soil pH, organic matter and phosphorus fractions), and cashew nut yield, plant height and canopy diameter from 1999 to 2002. The management systems that resulted in the most intense soil mobilization and fragmentation of biomass of cover plants (disc harrow, localized weeding and mechanical mowing) favored the degradation of physical and chemical properties, thus reducing the soil quality. Higher and more stable cashew nut yields were obtained in the systems where the practice of removing the vegetation around the trees (localized weeding) had been abandoned, resulting in higher organic matter inputs and absence of soil disturbance. The practice of localized weeding is therefore not recommendable for perennial crops.

Soil organic carbon and nitrogen stocks under tropical organic and conventional cropping systems in northeastern Brazil.

Soil organic matter (SOM) is an essential ecosystem component whose dynamics are affected by soil management practices. To evaluate the impact of two agricultural systems (organic and conventional) on soil organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) stocks in a sandy soil, samples were collected from the Amway Nutrilite Brazil farm and from the Central Pivot Horticultural Farmers Association farm, both situated in the Chapada da Ibiapaba region, Ceará State, Brazil. The first area has a large‐scale Caribbean Cherry fruit production system under organic management, whereas the second represented a conventional soil cultivation condition, characterized by the use of chisel plow and disc plow, mineral fertilization, and herbicides application. Plots with and without green manure fertilization were compared in the organically cultivated systems by using soil samples collected in the rows and between the rows. Areas under native forest were also sampled to determine the steady‐state condition. Total organic C and N contents in the soil (SOC, TN) and in the humic substances were determined at the 0‐ to 5‐, 5‐ to 15‐, 15‐ to 30‐, and 30‐ to 50‐cm soil layers. In addition, oxidizible organic C fractions were measured to calculate the carbon management index (CMI). In general, total SOC levels were low, ranging from 2.5 to 12.6 g kg−1 in the whole soil profile among the organic systems. In the upper soil layer, SOC and TN stocks were greater in the rows in response to organic fertilization. The conventional system presented lower variation on the SOC contents throughout soil layers when compared to the native forest area, indicating the direct effect of plowing on the downward SOC distribution. The CMI data confirmed the reestablishment of SOM levels in the rows of the organic managed systems in relation to the reference area, whereas the reduction of the CMI in the conventional system suggests a decline in the soil quality and greater potential for increased C losses to the atmosphere.

Landscape and soil regionalization in southern Brazilian Amazon and contiguous areas: methodology and relevance for ecological studies

Soils of a large tropical area with differentiated landscapes cannot be treated uniformly for ecological applications. We intend to develop a framework based on physiography that can be used in regional applications. The study region occupies more than 1.1 million km2 and is located at the junction of the savanna region of Central Brazil and the Amazon forest. It includes a portion of the high sedimentary Central Brazil plateau and large areas of mostly peneplained crystalline shield on the border of the wide inner-Amazon low sedimentary plain. A first broad subdivision was made into landscape regions followed by a more detailed subdivision into soil regions. Mapping information was extracted from soil survey maps at scales of 1:250000-1:500000. Soil units were integrated within a homogenized legend using a set of selected attributes such as taxonomic term, the texture of the B horizon and the associated vegetation. For each region, a detailed inventory of the soil units with their area distribution was elaborated. Ten landscape regions and twenty-four soil regions were recognized and delineated. Soil cover of a region is normally characterized by a cluster composed of many soil units. Soil diversity is comparable in the landscape and the soil regions. Composition of the soil cover is quantitatively expressed in terms of area extension of the soil units. Such geographic divisions characterized by grouping soil units and their spatial estimates must be used for regional ecological applications.