The role of green manure nitrogen use by corn and sugarcane crops in Brazil

Three assays were developed from April 3, 1995 to October 10, 2005. The work with corn was conducted in a greenhouse, using velvet bean (Mucuna aterrima) and sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea) as green manure with 15N labeling of either shoots or roots, in two soils with contrasting textural classes. The mineralization of N from legume plants incorporated into the two soils was investigated too. This work included two green manures: velvet bean and sunn hemp, and the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) residues. Nitrogen from the velvet bean accounted for a greater proportion of the soil inorganic N;shoots were responsible for most of N accumulated. Common bean residues caused immobilization of inorganic N. The leguminous species added were intensively and promptly mineralized, preserving the soil native nitrogen. One hundred days after emergence of the corn, velvet bean provided higher accumulation of nitrogen in the soil, higher absorption by corn plants and accumulation in the aerial part. The green manure decomposition was more intense in the medium textured soil. In this soil, highest nitrogen losses were also observed. The sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) was cultivated for five years in the field and was harvested three times;15N recovery was evaluated in the first two harvests. The combination of inorganic fertilizer and green manure resulted in higher sugarcane yields than either N source applied separately;however, in the second cutting the yields were higher where sunn hemp was used than in plots with ammonium sulfate. The recovery of N by the first two consecutive harvests accounted for 19% to 21% of the N applied as sunn hemp and 46% to 49% of the N applied as ammonium sulfate. Very little inorganic N was present in the 0-40 cm soil layer with both N sources.

Lithic soils in the semi-arid region of Brazil:edaphic characterization and susceptibility to erosion

Soils(Leptosols or Epileptic Regosols)with lithic contact at a depth of 50 cm occupy almost 20%of the Brazilian semi-arid region.These lithic soils are susceptible to erosion due to faster saturation of water-holding capacity during rainfall,which accelerates the beginning of runoff.However,erosion traits of lithic soils in the semi-arid region of Brazil are less studied.The aim of this study was to characterize the soil and landscape attributes in areas with Neossolos Litólicos(Entisols)in the Caatinga biome to identify region of high susceptibility to erosion.Results showed that the soils were characterized by a sandy texture,soil structure with poor development and low content of organic carbon.These attributes increase susceptibility to erosion and reduce water storage capacity,especially in the states of Cearáand Sergipe.In these states,the content of rock fragments in the soil reaches 790 g/kg.High contents of silt and fine sand,high silt/clay ratio,predominance of Leptosols and strong rainfall erosivity were observed in Piauíand northwestern Ceará.A very high degree of water erosion was observed in the states of Pernambuco and Paraíba.Despite the low degree of erosion observed in the state of Bahia,it is highly susceptible to erosion due to the predominance of very shallow soils,rugged relief and high values of rainfall erosivity.Lower vulnerability was observed in the state of Alagoas because of its more smoothed relief,greater effective soil depth,thicker A horizon of soil and lower rainfall erosivity.In general,the characteristics that intensify the susceptibility to erosion in the Caatinga biome are those soil structures with poor development or without aggregation,low contents of organic carbon,high contents of silt and fine sand,high values of silt/clay ratio and rugged relief in some regions.This study collected information contributing to a better characterization of soils with lithic contact in the semi-arid region of Brazil.In addition,regions with a higher susceptibility to erosion were identified,revealing insights that could help develop strategies for environmental risk mitigation.

Object-Based Method Outperforms Per-Pixel Method for Land Cover Classification in a Protected Area of the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest Region

Conventional image classification based on pixels hinders the possibilities to obtain information contained in images, while modern object-based classification methods increase the acquisition of information about the object and the context in which it is inserted in the image. The objective of this study was to investigate the performance of different classification methods for land cover mapping in the vicinity of the Alto Ribeira Tourist State Park, a Brazilian Atlantic rainforest area. Two classification methods were tested, including i) a hybrid per-pixel classification using the image processing software ERDAS Imagine version 9.1 and ii) an object-based classification using the software eCognition version 5. In the first method, six different classes were established, while in the second method, another two classes were established in addition to the six classes in the first method. Accuracy assessment of the classification results presented showed that the object-based classification with a Kappa index value of 0.8687 outperformed the per-pixel classification with a Kappa index value of 0.2224. Application of the user's knowledge during the object-based classification process achieved the desired quality; therefore, the use of inter-relationships between objects, superclasses, subclasses, and neighboring classes were critical to improving the efficiency of land cover classification.

Foliar application of rare earth elements on soybean(Glycine max(L)):Effects on biometrics and characterization of phytotoxicity

This study aims at investigating the effects of foliar application of aqueous solutions of La3+and Ce3+nitrates on soybean plants(Glycine max).First,we observe that Triton HW 1000 surfactant at 0.01 vol%reduces droplets contact angle and increases their drying time.Under greenhouse conditions,the foliar treatments do not affect chlorophyll content,plant height,number of leaves,number of pods,number of seeds per pod,and average seed weight.However,the treatments induce phytotoxicity since foliar injuries appear after the spraying.Microprobe X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy combined to scanning electron microscopy shows that the leaf lesions are positively correlated to accumulation of Ce and La on the leaf surface and also promote structural alteration to the epidermal cells.X-ray absorption near edge structure shows that the La and Ce nitrates are partially bio transformed into oxides by the leaves which might explain the harmful effects.