As pastagens geralmente perdem seu potencial produtivo e vigor de rebrota nos primeiros anos, frequentemente associada à falta de adubação nitrogenada. O objetivo deste foi verificar o efeito de fontes e doses de adubação nitrogenada na atividade microbiana (carbono da biomassa microbiana e carbono do CO2 liberado) e na fertilidade do solo cultivado com Brachiaria brizantha cv. Xaraés. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos casualizados, em arranjo fatorial 3 x 4, envolvendo três fontes de nitrogênio (uréia, sulfato de amônio e Ajifer-L40) e quatro doses de nitrogênio (0, 100, 200 e 400 kg ha-1), nas profundidades 0 - 0,10 e 0,10 - 0,20 m, com três repetições. O aumento nas doses de nitrogênio, na camada 0,0 a 0,10 m de profundidade, reduziu os valores de pH, MO, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, SB e V%. O Ajifer e a uréia elevaram os valores de Ca2+ na camada 0,10 - 0,20 m, e as doses de 100 e 200 kg ha-1 aumentaram os valores de Mg2+ e SB. Em doses elevadas o sulfato de amônio acidificou o solo. A perda de carbono pela elevada atividade microbiana pode estar relacionado ao estresse metabólico devido à acidificação do solo. A aplicação de 100 kg ha-1 de nitrogênio acarretou as menores perdas de carbono pela atividade microbiana.

Pastures usually lose their yield potential and re-growth energy in a few years, most often due to the lack of nitrogen fertilization. The objective of this study was to verify the effect of sources and levels of nitrogen (N) fertilization, under microbial activity (carbon of microbial biomass and carbon released as CO2) and fertility of soil cropped with Brachiaria brizantha cv. Xaraés. The experimental design was randomized, organized under a 3 x 4 factorial scheme, with three nitrogen sources (urea, ammonium sulfate and Ajifer-L40) and four nitrogen levels (0, 100, 200 and 400 kg ha-1), analyzed on two depths (0 - 0,10 e 0,10-0,20 m), with 3 replications. The higher levels of N doses, the 0 - 0.10 m depths, reduced the values of pH, MO, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, SB and V%. Ajifer and urea resulted in higher values of Ca2+, in the depths of 0.10 - 0.20 m, and the values of Mg2+ and SB exhibited high values with the doses of 100 and 200 kg ha-1 levels of N. The higher levels of ammonium sulfate resulted in soil acidification. Soil carbon loss, due to the high microbial activity, could be the result of metabolic stress caused by soil acidification. The application of 100 kg ha-1 of nitrogen was the best fertilizing level, considering the smaller loss of soil carbon by microbial activity.

A viabilização e aumento da produção de novas cultivares podem ser obtidos com a prática da adubação nitrogenada. O objetivo desse trabalho foi verificar o efeito de fontes e doses de adubação nitrogenada, em profundidades, na colonização micorrízica e na fertilidade do solo com Brachiaria brizantha cv. Xaraés. O delineamento experimental em blocos casualizados e os tratamentos em esquema fatorial 3 x 4, envolvendo três fontes de nitrogênio (ureia, sulfato de amônio e ajifer-L40), quatro doses (0, 100, 200 e 400 kg ha-1) estudadas em duas profundidades (0-0,10 e 0,10-0,20 m), com três repetições. Por parcela, as amostras compostas, por cinco amostras simples de solo, foram coletadas, peneiradas, homogeneizadas e destinadas às análises. O uso do ajifer e da ureia proporcionou maior produtividade de massa seca da parte aérea de B. brizantha cv. Xaraés. Em contrapartida, esta sofre redução à medida que as doses se elevaram. A melhor dose de adubação foi a aplicação de 100 kg ha-1 de N. As doses mais elevadas de N, na camada 0 a 0,10 m de profundidade, determinam acidificação do solo e reduzem os valores de MO, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, SB e V%. A esporulação, mas não colonização micorrízica, é sensivelmente estimulada em elevadas doses.

The feasibility and increase in the production of new cultivars can be obtained with the practice of nitrogen fertilization. The objective of this study was to verify the effect of sources and levels of nitrogen fertilization, concerning the depths, on the percentage of mycorrhizal colonization and soil fertility when covered by Brachiaria brizantha cv. Xaraés. A randomized blocks design was used and the treatments were under a 3 x 4 factorial scheme, regarding three nitrogen sources (urea, ammonium sulfate, and ajifer-L40) and 4 nitrogen levels (0, 100, 200 and 400 kg ha-1), studied at 2 different depths (0-0.10 and 0.10-0.20 m), with 3 replications. In each plot, the soil samples, composed of 5 simple samples, were collected, sieved, homogenized and sent for analysis. The use of ajifer and urea promoted higher production of shoot dry matter of B. brizantha cv. Xaraés. On the other hand, this dry matter showed reduction with the increase of N doses. The best fertilization dose was 100 kg ha-1 of N. The increasing doses of N employed, on the depth of 0-0.10 m, resulted in soil acidification and decreased the levels of MO, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, SB and V%. Sporulation, but not mycorrhizal colonization, was stimulated by higher applied dosages.

In this work, a smectite clay from the State of Paraiba, Brazil, was treated with six different types of ammonium salts, which is an usual method to enhance the affinity between the clay and polymer for the preparation of nanocomposites. The clays, before and after modification, were characterized by X ray diffraction. The conformation of the salts within the platelets of the clay depended on the number of long alkyl chains of the salt. The thermal stability of the clays was also studied. The ammonium salts thermal decomposition was explained in light of their position within the organoclays.

Cyclic voltammetry was used to study 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde (3,4-DHB) electropolymerization processes on carbon paste electrodes. The characteristics of the electropolymerized films were highly dependent on pH, anodic switching potential, scan rate, 3,4-DHB concentrations and number of cycles. Film stability was determined in citrate/phosphate buffer solutions at the same pH used during the electropolymerization process. The best conditions to prepare carbon paste modified electrodes were pH 7.8; 0.0 <= Eapl <= 0.25 V; 10 mV s-1; 0.25 mmol L-1 3,4-DHB and 10 scans. These carbon paste modified electrodes were used for NADH catalytic detection at 0.23 V in the range 0.015 <= [NADH] <= 0.21 mmol L-1. Experimental data were used to propose a mechanism for the 3,4--DHB electropolymerization processes, which involves initial phenoxyl radical formation.