SOIL FERTILITY AND HUMIC SUBSTANCES IN AN AREA OF CLAY EXTRACTION REVEGETATED WITH EUCALYPT AND LEGUMES IN THE NORTH OF RIO DE JANEIRO STATE

ABSTRACT

The revegetation of areas of clay extraction with eucalypt and legumes can promote the improvement of soil chemical atributtes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of pure plantations and intercropping of legumes and eucalypt on soil fertility and the content of total organic carbon and humic substances, in a mining digging clay in North Fluminense. The original soil dig area under study is a Inceptsol where the surface layer (thickness of 20 cm approximately), with higher concentrations of organic matter was removed and returned to the bottom of the dig after the extraction of clay. The dig was leveled mechanically and kept under fallow for two years. Revegetation was performed with the species Eucalyptus camaldulensis (Euc),Acacia mangium (Ac) and Sesbania virgata(Sesb), in pure and intercropped. The experimental design was a randomized block design with seven treatments (pure stands of Euc, Ac and Sesb; Intercropping of Euc + Ac + Euc Sesb, Ac + Sesb, and degraded area with natural vegetation (DANV)) and three replications. At 48 months after implantation of the systems were sampled soil layer from 0.00 to 0.05 m, which evaluated some variables of soil fertility (pH, P, K⁺, Ca⁺², Mg⁺², Na⁺, Al⁺³, H + Al), total organic carbon (TOC), nitrogen (N) and quantified the carbon of humic substances in the humin carbon (C-HUM), humic acid carbon (C-FAH ) and fulvic acid (C-FAF). It was observed that all stands promoted increases in the concentration Ca, Mg, P, K, N, TOC, HUM C-C-C-FAF and HAF relative to DANV. The revegetation of areas of mining digging clay in North Fluminense pure stands or mixed with eucalypt and legumes, leads to improvements in soil fertility and carbon and total soil nitrogen and carbon of humic substances. At four years after revegetation systems are indicated, in general, to result in increases in TOC, total N, Mg, sum of bases and cation exchange capacity, there is the planting of acacia plantations among pure, and the planting of eucalypt + sesbania, among Intercropping. In addition, the consortium eucalypt + sesbania, presented one of the highest levels of C humin fraction.

Keywords:
exchangeable cations; organic carbon; recuperation