The replacement of natural vegetation by crop systems directly impacts the soil organic matter fractions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the total organic carbon (TOC) and nitrogen (TN) contents in different fractions of the soil organic matter (SOM) of an Oxisol of the Brazilian semiarid region under different irrigated crops and different soil management systems. Seven treatments were evaluated, which consisted of two soil management systems (no - till and conventional tillage) and three crops (maize, sunflower and sorghum), using as reference the soil under a native forest (NF). The summer crops preceded common bean crops in the autumn - winter. The total organic carbon content, total nitrogen, carbon content in humic substances and their constituents (fulvic acids, humic acids and humin) and labile, non - labile and water - soluble carbon contents were evaluated two years and three months after the experiment implementation to determine the carbon lability (L) lability index (LI), partitioning index (CPI) and management index (CMI). The greatest carbon, nitrogen and organic matter contents in the soil surface layer (0.00 - 0.05 m) were found in crops under no - till system (NTS), especially maize. The crops under NTS presented greater carbon content in humic substances than the conventional tillage system (CTS) ones in the layer 0.05 - 0.10 m. The crops under NTS presented greater sustainability in the Brazilian semiarid region compared with those under CTS, as shown by their higher CMI in the soil surface layer.

Salinity problems are increasing in the semi-arid regions of northeastern Brazil. Thus, detailed studies of the region’s cultured crops, primarily salt-tolerant species, are important. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the salt stress tolerance of lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) seeds at different temperatures. This study was conducted in the Seed Analysis Laboratory, Agricultural Sciences Center, Federal University of Paraíba (Areia, PB, Brazil) by using seeds of four lima bean cultivars (Branca, Orelha de Vó, Rosinha, and Roxinha) in a randomized experimental design. Sodium chloride (NaCl) was used as a solute for salt-stress simulation at the following concentrations: 0.0 (control), 1.5, 3.0, 4.5, 6.0, 7.5, and 9.0 dS m-1; temperatures were maintained constant at 25°C, 30°C, and 35°C. Germination and vigor tests were performed to evaluate the treatment effects (first count, germination rate index, seedling length, and dry matter). Germination rate of lima bean seeds increased in salt concentrations up to 9 dS m-1, and seeds of Roxinha cultivar exhibited the highest salinity tolerance. The development of lima bean cultivar seedlings was negatively affected at 35°C under high-salinity conditions.

The use of biofloc technology (BFT) can improve fish production in regions with low water availability. Therefore, information on dynamics of water quality is essential for success in fish rearing. Thus, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the water quality for Nile tilapia farming in a system without water exchange, during the fingerling stage, using different sources of carbon and C:N ratios. A completely randomized experimental design was used in a 2x3 factorial arrangement, with two carbon (C) to nitrogen (N) ratios (10:1 and 20:1) and three carbon sources (sugar, molasses and cassava starch). The C:N ratio and carbon source affected the variables alkalinity, settleable solids (SS), turbidity and total suspended solids (TSS), showing significantly higher values at C:N ratio of 20:1 (P < 0.05). The best carbon source for microbial floc formation were the molasses and sugar, under C:N ratios of 10:1 and 20:1. The stability of the monitored water quality parameters occurred from 6 to 7 weeks of rearing. The growth performance of Nile tilapia in BFT system fertilized with different organic carbon sources was not significantly different (P < 0.05) between treatments. The use of molasses to fertilize BFT systems can reduce costs of production in regions where this product is available.

Demarcating soil management zones can be useful, for instance, delimiting homogeneous areas and selecting attributes that are generally correlated with plant productivity, but doing so involves several different steps. The objective of this study was to identify the chemical and physical attributes of soil and soybean plants that explain crop productivity, in addition to suggesting and testing a methodological procedure for defining soil management zones. The procedure consisted of six steps: sample collection, data filtering, variable selection, interpolation, grouping, and evaluation of management zones. The samples were collected in an experimental area of 12.5 ha cultivated with soybean during the 2013/14 crop in Dystrophic Red Latosol, in Mato Grosso, Brazil. A total of 117 pairs of plant and soil samples were collected. Student’s t - test was used ( α = 0.02) to verify that the number of samples was adequate for correlation analysis. Results showed that only the P and Mn content in the grains explained (based on R 2 values) the variation in soybean grain productivity the area. Based on the interpolation of these contents by ordinary kriging, the fuzzy C - means algorithm was used to separate them into groups by similarity. Division into two groups was the best option, which could be differentiated by Mann – Whitney test (P < 0.05), resulting in a map with 10 management zones.

The objective of this work was to technically and economically evaluate the productivity of tomato grown under different irrigation frequencies in the coast of Ceará, Brazil. The experiment was conducted in the experimental area of the Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, State of Ceará, Brazil, from August to December of 2011 and 2012. A randomized block experimental design was used in the two crop cycles, with six irrigation frequencies, consisted of 2 (F2), 3 (F3), 4 (F4), 5 (F5), 6 (F6) and 7 (F7) days of interval between irrigations, and four replications. The treatments were evaluated at twenty days after transplanting (DAT), when the plants were fully acclimated to the field. The harvesting began at seventy DAT and ended at ninety DAT. The variables analyzed were fruit length, diameter and weight, number of fruits per plant and fruit yield. The economic performance of the crop was also evaluated. Tomato producers of the coastal region of the State of Ceará, who aim to increase economic return, i.e., net income, must adopt a two- day irrigation frequency (F2).

The objective of this work was to assess the agronomic performance of cowpea cultivars depending on sowing seasons in the Cerrado biome. Thus, an experiment was conducted in Uberaba, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, in a complete randomized block design, in a 6x3 factorial arrangement, using six cowpea cultivars ( BRS - Itaim , BRS - Guariba , BRS - Potengi, BRS - Cauamé , BRS - Novaera and BRS - Tumucumaque ) and three sowing seasons (Dec 14, 2012; Jan 14, 2013; and Feb 14, 2013), with four replications. The interaction between the cultivars and sowing seasons was assessed regarding the number of days for full flowering, number of days for pod maturation, number of trifoliate leaves, height of the first pod - bearing node, pod length, number of pods per plant, final plant population, 100 - grain weight and grain yield. The cowpea cultivars sown in December produced the lowest numbers of pods per plant and grains per pod, resulting in the lowest grain yields. The cultivar BRS - Tumucumaque had the highest grain yield in the January sowing. The highest grain yields were found in the February sowing, especially when the cultivars BRS - Itaim (3,439 kg ha - 1 ), BRS - Novaera (3,435 kg ha - 1 ), BRS - Guariba (3,168 kg ha - 1 ) and BRS - Potengi (3,107 kg ha - 1 ) was used.

The use of organic residues and compost is a common practice to improve soil quality and content of organic matter. In this study, the labile and stable fractions of soil organic matter were evaluated after application of layers of fresh (non-composted) or composted organic residues in a 6-year-old citrus orchard. The experiment was set up as a randomized block design, with 6 treatments: control without NPK, control with NPK, non-composted organic residue (NCOR, with and without NPK), and composted organic residue (humus, with and without NPK), with three replicates. The treatments were applied under the plant canopy. Soil samples were collected from the 0-0.05, 0.05-0.10, and 0.10-0.15 m layers. There were increases of 10.3, 22.4, 16.3, and 37.1 % in the organic carbon contents of the surface soil for the treatments using NCOR without NPK, NCOR with NPK, humus with NPK, and humus without NPK, respectively. The organic carbon contents of the labile fraction varied from 1.0 to 12.8 g kg-1, representing between 8 and 62 % of the total carbon. The carbon concentrations in the stable fraction varied from 3.1 to 9.7 g kg-1, representing between 38 and 92 % of the total carbon, and this was the dominant fraction for most of the treatments.

The permanence of sugarcane straw on the soil surface, in systems without the pre-harvest straw burning practice, directly affects the soil organic matter dynamics. The objective of this work was to evaluate the changes in total organic carbon (TOC), carbon in the light organic matter (CLOM) and particulate organic carbon (POC), and their carbon stocks in a typic Quartzipsamment cultivated for nine years with sugarcane crops, which were conducted without the pre-harvest straw burning practice, in Paraipaba, State of Ceará, Brazil. Disturbed and undisturbed soil samples were collected at depths of 0.0-0.025, 0.025-0.05, 0.05-0.10, 0.10-0.20 and 0.20-0.30 m, in the sugarcane crop area and in an adjacent native forest area, in order to quantify the TOC, CLOM and POC, as well as the carbon stocks accumulated in the layer 0.0-0.30 m related to these fractions (TOCSt, CLOMSt and POCSt). TOC content changes after nine years of sugarcane crops, conducted without pre-harvest straw burning, were found only in the layers 0.10-0.20 and 0.20-0.30 m. The CLOM varied only in the layer 0.025-0.05 m. The POC content changes were more noticeable than the changes in TOC and CMOL. The CLOM of the sugarcane crop area presented high similarity with TOC, which may affect their quantification in studies related to the soil organic matter dynamics. The sugarcane crop increased the TOCSt, POCSt and CLOMSt in the layer 0.0-0.30 m, compared with the adjacent native forest area.

The effects of biochar and nitrogen application on yields of upland rice and cowpea and on soil fertility were determined in a greenhouse in Macaíba, RN, Brazil. The trial consisted of the succession of two crops in a completely randomized design and a factorial scheme, with four replicates. Initially, four doses of biochar and four doses of nitrogen were tested for cultivation of rice. Subsequently, four doses of biochar and two doses of nitrogen were tested in half of the pots maintained for planting cowpea. Soil was sampled after rice harvest for half of the pots and at end of the trial for the remaining pots. We evaluated the following parameters: mass of hundred grains of rice, dry shoot mass, panicle number, number of filled spikelets and of empty spikelets, and grain production. Determinations for cowpea were: pod number per pot, grain number per pod, and grain production per pot. Measured soil parameters were: pH, contents of organic carbon, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, cation exchange capacity, and exchangeable sodium percentage. Biochar addition did not influence yield components of upland rice and cowpea, but resulted in increased soil N retention, which influenced rice dry shoot mass, spikelets sterility, panicle number, and grain mass. Biochar also promoted increased soil pH, potassium content, and exchangeable sodium percentage and decreased calcium and magnesium concentrations.

This study aimed to define areas suitable, and the irrigation water requirement for, cultivation of Tanzania guineagrass in the state of Ceará, Brazil. Tanzania guineagrass yield was estimated by a mathematical model, which considers the crop actual evapotranspiration, resulting from the crop climatological water balance. The water requirement throughout the year was estimated for soils with a water holding capacity of 20 (shallow soils), 40 (sandy soils), 60 (soils with medium texture) and 100 mm (clay soils). The relative frequency of occurrence of monthly productions greater than 2,750 kg DM ha-1 month-1 was obtained for different areas in Ceará, representative of most of the state's economic mesoregions. Tanzania guineagrass annual yields in the state of Ceará were between 20,000-30,000 kg DM ha-1 year-1. During the rainy season, the productive potential varies with the economic mesoregion, which presents different climatic conditions. The state of Ceará is only suitable for the rainfed production of Tanzania guineagrass for 4 months each year, predominantly from February to May, while weather conditions do not favor the development of this grass in the remaining months.