Citric acid is a low-molecular-weight organic acid exuded by the plant roots. Organic anions derived from this acid compete for phosphorus (P) adsorption sites in clay minerals. The objective was to evaluate the P availability by application of P and citric acid tothe soil. For this purpose, an experiment in green house was conducted at the rates of 0, 45, 90, and 180 mg dm⁻³ P in Entisol and 0, 100, 200, and 400 mg dm⁻³ P in Oxisol, combined with 0, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mg dm⁻³ citric acid in pot. In the Entisol, 115 mg dm⁻³ of P and 0.7 mg dm⁻³ of citric acid resulted in maximum corn growth. However, in the Oxisol, the estimated rates were 299 mg dm⁻³ of P and 1.3 mg dm⁻³ of acid citric. Citric acid use in Entisol and Oxisol increased P availability of corn plants.

In the region of the Serra do Espinhaço Meridional, peat bog is formed in hydromorphic environments developed in sunken areas on the plain surfaces with vegetation adapted to hydromorphic conditions, favoring the accumulation and preservation of organic matter. This pedoenvironment is developed on the regionally predominant quartzite rocks. Peat bog in the Environmental Protection Area - APA Pau-de-Fruta, located in the watershed of Córrego das Pedras, Diamantina,Brazil, was mapped and three representative profiles were morphologically characterized and sampled for physical, chemical and microbiological analyses. The organic matter was fractionated into fulvic acid (FA), humic acids (HA) and humin (H). Two profiles were sampled to determine the radiocarbon age and δ13C. The structural organization of the three profiles is homogeneous. The first two layers consist of fibric, the two subsequent of hemic and the four deepest of sapric peat, showing that organic matter decomposition advances with depth and that the influence of mineral materials in deeper layers is greater. Physical properties were homogeneous in the profiles, but varied in the sampled layers. Chemical properties were similar in the layers, but the Ca content, sum of bases and base saturation differed between profiles. Contents of H predominated in the more soluble organic matter fractions and were accumulated at a higher rate in the surface and deeper layers, while HA levels were higher in the intermediate and FA in the deeper layers. Microbial activity did not vary among profiles and was highest in the surface layers, decreasing with depth. From the results of radiocarbon dating and isotope analysis, it was inferred that bog formation began about 20 thousand years ago and that the vegetation of the area had not changed significantly since then.

It is important to know the mechanisms for forage development, especially those related to the tolerance of potentially toxic elements, when considering their use in phytoremediation in heavy metal contaminated areas. In this study, we evaluated plant growth, concentration, and the availability of cadmium (Cd) for forage grasses (Panicum maximum Jacq. cv. Aruana and cv. Tanzânia; Brachiaria decumbens cv. Basilisk; Brachiaria brizantha cv. Xaraés and cv. Marandu) cultivated in Cd contaminated soils. The experiments were performed under greenhouse conditions over a 90-day evaluation period, and the Cd rates were 2, 4, and 12 mg/kg of soil. The relative growth rate of the forage grasses decreased as Cd rates increased, and the following descending order of susceptibility was observed: Marandu > Xaraés > Aruana > Tanzânia > Basilisk, with regard to phytotoxicity in these plants. The forage Cd concentration increased in line with increases in the Cd rates. Cd contents extracted by Mehlich-1 and by diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid presented high positive correlation with forage relative growth. The forage plants did not block Cd entry into the food chain because they were not capable of limiting Cd absorption.

The use of mycorrhiza is a promising biotechnology that makes coffee cultivation sustainable in the use of fertilizers. In this sense, plant growth and phosphorus contents were assessed in coffee inoculated with Rhizophagus clarus, Claroideoglomus etunicatum and Dentiscutata heterogama in soil fertilized with 0, 0.74, 1.48 and 2.96 g P₂O₅ kg^-1. The experimental design was a randomized block design in a 4 × 4 factorial scheme with four replications. The mycorrhizal seedlings were previously produced and later transplanted to pots, simulating the field planting. The assessments were performed 150 days after transplanting. All variables were influenced by inoculation, but the effects were dependent on P doses. P doses higher than 50% of the recommended dose (0.74 g P₂O₅ kg^-1) decreased the benefit of mycorrhiza. The fungi Rhizophagus clarus and Claroideoglomus etunicatum promoted a higher growth of coffee plants when compared to non-inoculated plants in non-sterilized soils and with a reduction in the applied P.

O presente estudo objetivou avaliar a influência de diferentes níveis de sombreamento e tipos de substratos no desenvolvimento inicial de mudas de copaíba. O experimento foi conduzido no delineamento em blocos casualizados no esquema fatorial 5 x 4. Os tratamentos foram compostos pela combinação de cinco substratos, Bioplant®; 70% vermiculita + 30% casca de arroz carbonizada (70V+30CA); 40% vermiculita + 30% casca de arroz carbonizada + 30% fibra de coco (40V+30CA+30FC); 50% vermiculita + 30% casca de arroz carbonizada + 20% areia (50V+30CA+20A); 70% vermiculita + 15% casca de arroz carbonizada + 15% vermicomposto de resíduo de indústria têxtil (70V+15CA+15VC) e quatro níveis de sombreamento, (pleno sol (0%), 30; 50 e 70%) e três repetições. Foram avaliadas as seguintes variáveis: taxa de crescimento absoluto em altura e diâmetro; sobrevivência; massa seca de folhas, caule e raiz; massa seca total; razão entre massa seca da parte aérea e massa seca de raiz; e a razão de massa foliar. Os resultados demonstram que as mudas de copaíba necessitam de sombra em sua fase inicial de desenvolvimento, sendo o nível de 50% de sombreamento uma alternativa viável para produção de suas mudas. As mudas de copaíba crescidas no substrato 70V+30CA apresentaram maior produção de massa seca total, enquanto no Bioplant® observou-se características inferiores para a massa seca de folha, massa seca total e razão de massa foliar. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of different shade levels and types of substrates in the initial development of seedlings of Copaiba. The trial was conducted in a randomized block design in a factorial 5 x 4 with five substrates, Bioplant®; 70% vermiculite + 30% rice hulls (70V+30CA), 40% vermiculite + 30% rice hulls + 30% coconut fiber (40V+30CA+30FC), 50% vermiculite + 30% rice hulls + 20% sand (50V+30CA+20A), 70% vermiculite + 15% bark carbonized rice + 15% vermicompost residue of textile industry (70V+15CA+15VC); four levels of shading (full sunlight (0%), 30, 50 and 70%) and three replications. We evaluated the following variables: absolute growth rate in height and diameter, survival, dry mass of leaves, stem and root, total dry mass, dry mass ratio of shoot and root dry weight, and leaf weight. The results show that the seedlings need shade Copaiba in its early stage of development, and the level of 50% shading a viable alternative for production of its seedlings. The seedlings grown in Copaiba 70V+30CA produced more total dry mass, while in Bioplant® inferior characteristics observed for dry weight of leaves, total dry weight and leaf weight

Cadmium (Cd) is a very toxic heavy metal occurring in places with anthropogenic activities, making it one of the most important environmental pollutants. Phytoremediation plants are used for recovery of metal-contaminated soils by their ability to absorb and tolerate high concentrations of heavy metals. This paper aims to evaluate the potential of grasses in phytolith production in soils contaminated with Cd. The experiments, separated by soil types (Typic Quartzipsamment, Xanthic Hapludox and Rhodic Hapludox), were conducted in a completely randomized design with a distribution of treatments in a 3 × 4 factorial scheme with three replications. The factors were three grasses (Urochloa decumbens, Urochloa brizantha and Megathyrsus maximus) and four concentrations of Cd applied in soils (0, 2, 4 and 12 mg kg⁻¹). Grass growth decreased and increased Cd concentration in shoots of grasses with the increased Cd rates in soils. The toxic effect of Cd resulted in production and Cd occlusion in phytoliths produced in shoots of the grasses. Grasses showed potential for phytolith production, independent of soil type, providing phytoextraction of Cd in phytoliths. Megathyrsus maximus was the grass with the highest tolerance to Cd, evidenced by higher production and Cd capture in phytoliths for the evaluated soils. Phytolith production by grasses in Cd-contaminated soils is related to genetic and physiological differences of the evaluated grasses and Cd availability in soils.