Several agro-industrial, livestock, and food wastes can be recycled to create biofertilizers. This diversity of raw materials can result in nutritional imbalance and an increase in heavy metal content, which could make the final product unfeasible. Thus, the chemical characterization of the raw materials and their influence on the sustainable and safe production of biofertilizers need to be better understood. In this context, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the chemical characteristics of agro-industrial residues used in the manufacture of an aerobic liquid biofertilizer. We analyzed the macronutrient, micronutrient, and trace metal contents of seven waste products used as raw materials to create a biofertilizer. In addition, a survey of secondary biofertilizer data from different residues was carried out that showed great heterogeneity in the chemical compositions of these residues, which has a direct impact on the agronomic efficiency of these biofertilizers. The characterization revealed that some materials may be contaminants of the soil, due to high levels of trace metals, especially cadmium. We conclude that the generation of detailed inventories, such as those of the nutrient and heavy metal contents of the raw materials and biofertilizers produced, is indispensable for the correct recommendation of biologically-based inputs in agriculture.

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is one of the most produced and consumed vegetables in Brazil. As a crop of Mediterranean origin and therefore adapted to cool and/or mild climates, it is strongly affected by high temperatures. Morphophysiological disorders such as premature bolting and tipburn are examples of these impacts. Such problems are expected to worsen under projected scenarios of global warming and climate change. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the vulnerability of Brazilian lettuce production to two global climate change scenarios (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5) throughout the 21st century, using the regional climate model ETA-HadGEM2-ES, as well as the impacts of what we defined here as the Thermal Severity Index, calculated by summing the vulnerability indices of mean temperature and maximum temperature. Projections of mean temperature (Tmean) and maximum temperature (Tmax) were analyzed for the four seasons of the year, generating thematic maps of climate vulnerability and the Thermal Severity Index (IS), which integrates both variables. The results indicate a generalized warming trend, more pronounced under the RCP 8.5 scenario, with significant impacts on lettuce production, especially in the Central-West, Northeast, and Northern regions. Impacts will be greatest during summer and spring. By the end of the century, in both scenarios, almost the entire country, across all seasons, will present high to very high IS values. Only the Southern region and parts of mountainous areas showed high suitability for lettuce cultivation. The urgent adoption of climate change adaptation strategies and improvements in production system resilience is therefore necessary. As lettuce cultivation is highly associated with family farming—largely neglected in current climate change actions, this also becomes a matter of climate justice.

The Brazilian Cerrado is one of the global biodiversity hotspots. Despite its environmental importance, worrying rates of environmental degradation have been observed there. Therefore, the conservation of native areas or those undergoing recovery is important, and those under public administration have a greater chance of achieving this. The preservation of Brazilian biomes, maintaining their resilience and environmental services, is not only a matter of this but also of maintaining diffuse rights, especially those related to the maintenance of functional ecosystems for current and future generations. To this end, an adequate characterization of their environmental compartments is necessary. Given all the above, this study aimed to characterize pedogeomorphologically an area under Cerrado regeneration in the Federal District (DF), under the ownership of Embrapa (2025) Hortaliças since 1972. This area fulfills an important function by guaranteeing environmental services such as water production, as well as maintaining its quality and mitigating negative impacts. Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing from high-resolution images (0.5 m x 0.5 m), Digital Elevation Models (DEM) (SRTM) with a resolution of 30 m, contour lines plotted with an equidistance of 5 m, field visits, and chemical, physical, and physicochemical analyses of soil samples collected in the area were used. The results generated a semi-detailed soil reconnaissance map at a scale of 1:10,000, a DEM, a map of slope classes and land use and occupation of the study area. The results also indicated the predominance of Red-Yellow Latosols in the Intermediate Plateaus, Haplic Cambisols in steeper areas (Chapada edges), and Red Latosols in the highest part of the landscape (Chapada). The elevation profile shows that the area exhibits geomorphological compartmentalization, typical of the Central Plateau, with flat to gently undulating plateaus at altitudes around 1,000 m, steeply inclined dissected valleys (Chapada Borders), and the Intermediate Plateau at altitudes around 900 m, also featuring flat to gently undulating relief. The area also hosts several springs, exhibiting dendritic drainage with embedded valleys and bodies of water. Land use and occupation mapping at a scale of 1:1,000 confirms the area's degree of conservation. It is concluded that the area is predominantly composed of soils with high infiltration capacity in the plateaus and intermediate plateaus and presents a high risk of soil loss due to erosion in steep areas, which can lead to water quality loss through siltation.

Foi realizado um estudo para compreender os principais problemas da produção de morango em Brazlândia (DF), com o objetivo de identificar o que tem causado sua menor participação na comercialização na Ceasa-DF, a baixa produtividade e a forte participação de itens que envolvem o manejo agrícola no custo de produção. Verificou-se baixa adoção de cultivo protegido e de BPA (Boas Práticas Agrícolas) e inexistência de um sistema de produção de mudas e de cultivares adaptadas às condições locais. Sugere-se intensificar as ações de extensão rural, incentivar a adoção de cultivo protegido e a organização dos produtores de morango e empenhar esforços de pesquisa para o desenvolvimento de sistema de produção de mudas de morangueiros e de cultivares para as condições específicas de clima e solo de Brazlândia.

This paper presents an integrated geotechnological approach to assessing the susceptibility to water erosion and the vulnerability to contamination of porous aquifers in a hydrographic unit located in the Cerrado region of the Federal District. Using advanced tools such as GRASS GIS and spatial modeling via RUSLE, thematic maps and indicators were generated. The results demonstrate that, although much of the area presents low susceptibility to erosion, features such as plateau edges can present high and very high susceptibility. Nevertheless, the presence of native or regenerating vegetation as land cover in these features allowed them to be classified primarily as low. The analysis of the vulnerability of porous aquifers, coupled with the very high impairment of the flow rate available for dilution, however, revealed a worrying situation in an area that has been under strong pressure from unplanned urbanization. The findings can support the development, implementation, and execution of public policies and environmental management plans, highlighting the need for compliance with these latter. They are also closely related to diffuse rights, especially the right to a balanced environment, and to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially numbers 6, 13, and 15.

This paper presents an integrated geotechnological approach to assessing the susceptibility to water erosion and the vulnerability to contamination of porous aquifers in a hydrographic unit located in the Cerrado region of the Federal District. Using advanced tools such as GRASS GIS and spatial modeling via RUSLE, thematic maps and indicators were generated. The results demonstrate that, although much of the area presents low susceptibility to erosion, features such as plateau edges can present high and very high susceptibility. Nevertheless, the presence of native or regenerating vegetation as land cover in these features allowed them to be classified primarily as low. The analysis of the vulnerability of porous aquifers, coupled with the very high impairment of the flow rate available for dilution, however, revealed a worrying situation in an area that has been under strong pressure from unplanned urbanization. The findings can support the development, implementation, and execution of public policies and environmental management plans, highlighting the need for compliance with these latter. They are also closely related to diffuse rights, especially the right to a balanced environment, and to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially numbers 6, 13, and 15.