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CULTIVATION OF XARAÉS GRASS IRRIGATED WITH IRON MINING TAILINGS

ABSTRACT

The collapse of the Fundão dam in Brazil caused one of the biggest environmental disasters. One of the challenges was how to manage the tailings so that affected areas could be reused. This study aimed to verify whether applying different irrigation depths to Xaraés grass grown with iron mining tailings would affect grass shoot and root dry masses. The experiment was set up in a randomized design with five irrigation depths (40%, 60%, 80%, 100%, and 120% of crop evapotranspiration) and two additional treatments (grass grown in tailings with soil conditioner, and grass grown in natural soil), each with three repetitions. The grass was cut four times, and the shoot dry mass was evaluated after each cut, while the root dry mass was evaluated at the end of the experiment. Our results showed that irrigation depths had a positive linear effect on shoot dry mass and an exponentially increasing effect on root dry mass, with the highest averages in the treatment applying 120% of crop evapotranspiration. This study showed that even in adverse conditions, Xaraés grass was able to grow and develop well.

degraded areas; water deficit; pasture irrigation; root system

INTRODUCTION

The mining industry in Brazil has a long history dating back to colonial times. The exploration of precious metals by bandeirantes shaped the occupation of the inland regions of Brazil and led to the discovery of gold in Minas Gerais (ANM, 2023ANM - Agência Nacional de Mineração (2023) Anuário Mineral Brasileiro: principais substâncias metálicas. Brasília, DF, ANM. 23 p.). The Quadrilátero Ferrífero region (Belo Horizonte, Itabira, and Congonhas to Ouro Preto) is one of the largest mineral provinces globally and a major iron mining area in Brazil (Teixeira et al., 2021Teixeira AFS, Silva SHG, Carvalho TS, Silva AO, Guimaraes AA, Moreira FMS (2021) Soil physicochemical properties and terrain information predict soil enzymes activity in phytophysiognomies of the quadrilátero ferrífero region in Brazil. Catena 199:105083. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2020.105083.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2020.10...
, Ribeiro et al., 2022Ribeiro SDO, Oliveira RAD, Cunha FFD, Cecon PR, Oliveira JTD (2022) Xaraés grass under different irrigation depths to recover areas contaminated with iron mining tailings. Engenharia Agrícola 42(4):1-11. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/1809-4430-Eng.Agric.v42n4e20210231/2022.
https://doi.org/10.1590/1809-4430-Eng.Ag...
).

Mining, however, has negative impacts, including a large number of tailings stored in containment dams (Andrade et al., 2016Andrade LCR, Marques EAG, Peixoto RAF (2016) Perspectivas para o reaproveitamento de rejeitos da mineração de ferro como materiais de construção. Geografias 12(1):32-44. Available: https://ufmg.br/busca?q=periodicos.
https://ufmg.br/busca?q=periodicos...
). In 2015, the Fundão Dam collapse in Bento Rodrigues, Mariana, MG was considered one of the biggest environmental disasters in mining, releasing 50 million m3 of tailings (Gomes et al., 2017Gomes LEO, Correa LB, Sá F, Neto RR, Bernardino AF (2017) The impacts of the Samarco mine tailing spill on the Rio Doce estuary, Eastern Brazil. Marine Pollution Bulletin 120(1-2):28-36. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.04.056.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017...
). Tailings have physical, chemical, and structural properties different from the soil, affecting plant development during revegetation (Barros et al., 2018Barros DA, Junior MGC, Oliveira AL, Silva Neto EC (2018) Matéria orgânica e agregação do solo em áreas sobre influência da mineração de bauxita na região do Planalto de Poços de Caldas, MG. Agropecuária Científica no Semiárido 14(2):160-167. Available: http://revistas.ufcg.edu.br/acsa/index.php/ACSA/index.
http://revistas.ufcg.edu.br/acsa/index.p...
).

Grasses are used to recover degraded areas because of their high root density, which can improve soil physical properties like aggregate stability, penetration resistance, and reduced compaction, even in degraded mining areas (Stumpf et al., 2017Stumpf L, Pauletto EA, Pinto LFS, Fernandes FF, Silva TS, Ambus JV, Furtado-Garcia G, Dutra Junior LA, Scheunemann T (2017) Gramíneas perenes e sua relação com a recuperação de atributos físicos de um solo degradado construído. Interciencia 42(2):101-107. Available: https://www.redalyc.org/journal/339/33949912005/html/.
https://www.redalyc.org/journal/339/3394...
). Roots of plants contribute organic matter to the subsurface soil layers through dead root cells and root exudates, which are carbon sources for decomposing microorganisms, promoting nutrient mineralization and soil structure improvement (Baumert et al., 2018Baumert VL, Vasilyeva NA, Vladimirov AA, Meier IC, Kögel-Knabner I, Mueller CW (2018) Root exudates induce soil macroaggregation facilitated by fungi in subsoil. Frontiers in Environmental Science 6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2018.00140.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2018.00140...
).

Organic matter causes changes that favor aeration and water retention in soil, essential elements for root development, and the establishment of microorganisms processing this material (Krzyzanski et al., 2018Krzyzanski HC, Carrenho R, Araujo MA (2018) Abiotic soil attributes and their relation to morphological root characteristics and mycorrhizal colonization of grasses. Brazilian Journal of Botany 41(3):539-549. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40415-018-0481-9.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40415-018-0481-...
).

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different irrigation depths on the shoot and root yield of Xaraés grass pasture cultivated in mining tailings.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Experiment location and waste collection

The experiment was conducted in a lysimeter station with a total area of 126 m2 (18 x 7 m). It is located at the Irrigation Experimental Area of the Department of Agricultural Engineering (DEA) at the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV) in Viçosa, Minas Gerais. The geographic coordinates are 20º 46' 08'' S latitude, 42º 52' 44'' W longitude, and an altitude of 675 meters.

The iron mining tailings were obtained in partnership with the Renova Foundation, at the Germano Dam, in the municipality of Mariana – MG. A total of 30,000 kg of tailings were collected, which were used to fill 18 drainage lysimeters with dimensions of 1.40 m in length, 1.00 m in width, and 0.90 m in depth. The lower 0.15 m of the lysimeters was filled with gravel and sand, followed by 0.65 m of tailings. The geographic coordinates of the dam are latitude 20° 13’ 01’’ S, longitude 43° 28’ 10’’ W, and altitude 893 m.

Three other drainage lysimeters were filled with gravel and sand at the bottom and completed with soil classified as Latossolo Vermelho Amarelo (Oxisol). Each lysimeter was equipped with a bottom drain to collect the drained water. Tailings and soil samples were collected for physical and chemical characterization. The physical analysis (Table 1) was performed at the Soil Physics Laboratory and the chemical analysis (Table 2) was performed at the Soil, Plant Tissue, and Fertilizer Analysis Laboratory, both belonging to the Department of Soils, Federal University of Viçosa - UFV. The field capacity and permanent wilting point humidity data were obtained at the Soil Physics Laboratory of the Reference Center for Water Resources - DEA/UFV.

TABLE 1
Physical and hydrological properties of mining tailings and soil used in the experiment.
TABLE 2
Chemical composition of mining tailings and natural soil used in the experiment.

Pasture implantation

The experiment lasted six months, beginning with the sowing and establishment of pasture for 60 days. At the end of this period, the pasture was cut to a height of 0.25 m. Then, irrigation depths were applied for four cycles, with a fixed cutting age of 30 days. Before sowing, 1.21 t ha-1 of lime was applied to the mining tailings to correct their acidity. The tailings received implantation fertilization of 70 kg ha-1 P2O5 and 60 kg ha-1 K2O, using simple superphosphate and potassium chloride, respectively. The soil needed no acidity correction and received implantation fertilization of 70 kg ha-1 P2O5 from simple superphosphate.

Sowing was performed using 12 kg ha-1 seeds with commercial coating, harvested in the 2017/2018 season with 85% germination, 60% purity, and 51% cultural value. The seeds and phosphate fertilizer were manually applied in rows spaced 0.28 m apart at a depth of 0.02 m, with potassium fertilizer added after seedling emergence.

Maintenance fertilization was performed between cutting and regrowth cycles, with a nitrogen dose of 150 kg ha-1 N using urea. Simple superphosphate was used for phosphate fertilization with a dose of 30 kg ha-1 P2O5, and potassium chloride was used for potassium fertilization with a dose of 200 kg ha-1 K2O. The topdressing fertilization was split twice per cycle and applied by broadcasting on the soil and tailings surface, followed by irrigation.

A soil conditioner, TerraCotten, was added as an additional treatment. It consists of a mixture of hydro-absorbent polymers, fertilizers, and growth stimulators (Melo et al., 2005Melo B, Zago R, Santos CM, Mendonça FC, Santos VLM, Teodoro REF (2005) Uso do polímero hidroabsorvente Terracottem® e da freqüência de irrigação na produção de mudas de cafeeiro em tubetes. Revista Ceres 52(299). Available: http://www.ceres.ufv.br/ojs/index.php/ceres/article/view/3023.
http://www.ceres.ufv.br/ojs/index.php/ce...
). A dose of 0.10 kg m-2 was distributed between the planting rows to avoid disrupting the root system. The maximum depth of application was 0.20 m

Irrigation management

To ensure seed germination and establish uniformity in the pasture, uniform irrigation was performed at the start of the experiment. To maintain uniformity of the treatments, daily irrigation management was conducted using drainage lysimeters. The irrigation depth applied was 120% of the crop evapotranspiration (ETc). This management was performed in the morning, where the volume drained from the previous day was subtracted. The difference was considered as the volume required to replace 100% of the crop evapotranspiration, following [eq. (1)].

E T c = I D (1)

Where:

ETc - crop evapotranspiration (mm d-1);

I - irrigation depth corresponding to 120% of ETc (mm d-1);

D - drained water depth (mm d-1).

From the reference depth (100% of the ETc), irrigations were performed in the other lysimeters as a function of the equivalent percentage of each treatment. The depths were converted into the volume by manually distributing water with a watering can over the area of lysimeters.

Rainfall was not considered in the water budget, as lysimeters were under a wooden structure roofed with transparent plastic (1.60 x 1.20 m). The structure was positioned at 0.60 m from the soil surface and was placed only in times of rain, removing it soon afterward to avoid plastic interference with plant development.

During the four cutting cycles, data on average daily temperature, relative air humidity, solar radiation, and rainfall were obtained from the Brazilian National Institute of Meteorology (INMET) database, whose automatic weather station was set up at distances of 750 and 24 meters horizontally and vertically, respectively, from the experiment site.

Shoot and root dry masses

Shoot dry mass (SDM) was measured in each cycle and each lysimeter, collecting a sample using a 0.25-m2 square frame. All material within the frame and up to 0.25 m height was packed in paper bags and dried under a forced air circulation oven at 55 °C for 72 hours (Detmann et al., 2012Detmann E, Souza MA, Valadares Filho SC, Queiroz AC, Berchielli TT, Saliba EOS, Cabral LS, Pina DS, Ladeira MM, Azevedo JAG (2012) Métodos para análise de alimentos– INCT: ciência animal. Visconde do Rio Branco: MG: Suprema, 214 p.). The parameter was calculated by summing up the yield of each repetition in the four evaluated cycles. The results were expressed in kilograms per square meter (kg m-2).

After the last cut, root samples were collected from each lysimeter for examination. This was done using a cylindrical PVC tube with a 0.19 m diameter and 0.35 m height, totaling a volume of 0.0105 m3. The surface was cleared and the tube was inserted into the ground until it was level with the surface.

A trench was dug around the tube to ensure easy removal without disturbing the collected sample. The material inside the tube was then rinsed to separate and clean the roots. Afterward, the samples were placed in paper bags and taken to a laboratory for dry mass determination in a forced-air oven at 55° C for 72 hours. It should be noted that high-temperature drying can cause the loss of volatile or complex compounds in fibrous materials that contain protein, which may compromise further chemical analysis (Detmann et al., 2012Detmann E, Souza MA, Valadares Filho SC, Queiroz AC, Berchielli TT, Saliba EOS, Cabral LS, Pina DS, Ladeira MM, Azevedo JAG (2012) Métodos para análise de alimentos– INCT: ciência animal. Visconde do Rio Branco: MG: Suprema, 214 p.). Root dry mass (RDM) was determined for each lysimeter and expressed in kilograms per cubic meter (kg m-3).

Experimental design and data analysis

The experiment involved five irrigation treatments: D40, D60, D80, D100, and D120, which correspond to 40, 60, 80, 100, and 120% of the ETc, respectively. Two additional treatments were also conducted, including grass grown in tailings with soil conditioner (CD40), with irrigation depth corresponding to 40% of the ETc, and grass grown in natural soil (NS), with irrigation depth corresponding to 100% of the ETc. The experiment was designed as a completely randomized study with three replicates for each treatment.

Data were analyzed using analysis of variance and regression. To assess the impact of the five irrigation depths, regression analysis was applied. The models were selected based on the significance of regression coefficients, using a t-test at a 5% probability level, in the coefficient of determination (R2 = SQ regression/SQ treatment), and in the behavior of the studied phenomena.

To compare the means of all treatments, the Tukey test was used, at a 5% significance level. All statistical analyses were performed in the RStudio program using the ExpDes.pt package (Ferreira et al., 2018Ferreira EB, Cavalcanti PP, Nogueira DA (2018) ExpDes.pt: experimental designs pacakge (Portuguese). R package version 1.2.0. https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=ExpDes.pt.
https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=ExpDe...
).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Accumulated rainfall for the four cycles was recorded as 162, 124, 115, and 53 mm in that order. Relative humidity ranged between 66 and 96%, with the highest and lowest readings on the second and hundredth fourth day, respectively. The highest daily average temperature reached 25.5°C on the third day during the first cutting cycle of Xaraés grass. One day earlier, the highest level of solar radiation was recorded (322.40 W m-2). In turn, the lowest radiation (12.15 W m-2) coincided with the day when the highest relative humidity was registered. This was marked by a low-intensity rain event that took place for most of the day. It is noteworthy that the lowest average daily temperature (17°C) occurred on the 115th day of evaluation.

The results of our analysis showed a positive linear relationship between irrigation depth and shoot dry mass (SDM) (p<0.01) in the range of 40% to 120% of ETc. The highest average SDM (1.41 kg m-2) was obtained from the D120 treatment. This represents a 2.06-fold increase in productivity compared to the D40 treatment, which had the lowest average SDM of all treatments (Figure 1).

FIGURE 1
Shoot (SDM) and root (RDM) dry masses of Xaraés grass under different irrigation depths and grown in iron mining tailings. ** Significant at 1% probability by t-test

Our findings indicated a positive and exponential relationship between irrigation depths and root production (p<0.01). Within the range of 40% to 120% of ETc, an increase in water replacement led to an exponential growth in root dry mass. The D120 treatment showed the highest estimated production of root dry mass (5.94 kg m-3). This represents a 3.32-fold increase compared to the D40 treatment, which had the lowest estimated root dry mass production (Figure 1).

The results of the Tukey test analysis (Table 3) showed that the D120 treatment produced the highest shoot dry mass (SDM) with an average of 1.42 kg m-2. This result was statistically significant and superior to the other treatments, including D80 (1.02 kg m-2), D60 (0.86 kg m-2), D40 (0.69 kg m-2), and CD40 (1.07 kg m-2).

TABLE 3
Shoot (SDM) and root (RDM) dry masses of Xaraés grass after the four cutting cycles grown in mining tailings and under different irrigation depths (D40, D60, D80, D100, and D120 ), tailings with soil conditioner (CD40) and natural soil (NS)

Our observations showed that D100, in which grass was grown under conditions of iron mining tailings, had an SDM yield equal to that of NS, where plants were grown in natural soil. Both treatments received the same amount of water.

The highest root production was achieved in D120, with an average of 7.98 kg m-3 of roots. In contrast, D40, D60, and D80 produced lower RDM, with averages of 2.03, 2.50, and 2.70 kg m-3, respectively. No significant differences were observed among these treatments.

Moreover, the soil conditioner affected SDM productivity. The plants treated with CD40 had the same average yield as those treated with D80, which received twice as much water. The plants treated with CD40 also produced more than those treated with D40, even though both received the same irrigation depth.

As for root growth, the soil conditioner had a higher RDM than D40, which used the same amount of water. Additionally, NS was also notable as it produced the second-highest RDM, which was surpassed only by D120, in which the largest amount of water was used. This suggests that under iron mining tailings, root production is only better than in natural soil when water replacement reaches 120% of the crop evapotranspiration.

Cheruiyot et al. (2018)Cheruiyot D, Midega CAO, Van Den Berg J, Pickett JA, Khan ZR (2018) Genotypic responses of Brachiaria Grass (Brachiaria spp.) accessions to drought stress. Journal of Agronomy 17(3):136-146. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3923/ja.2018.136.146.
https://doi.org/10.3923/ja.2018.136.146...
found that Xaraés grass was one of the cultivars least affected by severe water stress while still maintaining high biomass productivity when studying the effects of water stress on 18 accessions of the genus Urochloa. This makes Xaraés grass suitable for areas with limited water availability, such as those affected by iron mining tailings with unfavorable conditions for plant growth.

Pezzopane et al. (2015)Pezzopane CG, Santos PM, Cruz PG, Altoé J, Ribeiro FA, Valle CB (2015) Estresse por deficiência hídrica em genótipos de Brachiaria brizantha. Ciência Rural 45(5). DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0103-8478cr20130915.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0103-8478cr201...
evaluated the effect of water deficit on four U. brizantha cultivars (Xaraés, Paiaguás, Marandu, and Piatã) and observed a reduction in both shoot and roots of plants under water stress. The difference between water deficit and control treatments for the cultivar Xaraés was 46% in shoot dry mass and 51% in root dry mass

Stumpf et al. (2017)Stumpf L, Pauletto EA, Pinto LFS, Fernandes FF, Silva TS, Ambus JV, Furtado-Garcia G, Dutra Junior LA, Scheunemann T (2017) Gramíneas perenes e sua relação com a recuperação de atributos físicos de um solo degradado construído. Interciencia 42(2):101-107. Available: https://www.redalyc.org/journal/339/33949912005/html/.
https://www.redalyc.org/journal/339/3394...
conducted a study on the recovery of a coal mining-degraded area and compared root attributes (density, volume, length, and root area) among four grass species. They found that one species of the genus Urochloa, similar to the species used in our study, performed better and showed potential for restoring the physical attributes of degraded soils.

Coello et al. (2018)Coello J, Ameztegui A, Rovira P, Fuentes C, Piqué M (2018) Innovative soil conditioners and mulches for forest restoration in semiarid conditions in northeast Spain. Ecological Engineering 118:52-65. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2018.04.015.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2018.0...
conducted an experiment on degraded area revegetation using tree species in Spain and found that the use of a soil conditioner was effective in promoting root growth and plant establishment in situations of limited moisture and coarse-textured soils, similar to those found in mining tailings. The results they presented support the effectiveness of soil conditioners in these challenging growing conditions.

Iron mining tailings differ from natural soil in terms of physical attributes, particularly soil texture, and structure, which affects soil water retention. Pore diameter plays a role in regulating soil water retention, as micropores retain water while macropores provide soil aeration, giving soil structure control over soil porosity (Totsche et al., 2018Totsche KU, Amelung W, Gerzabek MH, Guggenberger G, Klumpp E, Knief C, Lehndorff E, Mikutta R, Peth S, Prechtel A, Ray N, Kögel-Knabner I (2018) Microaggregates in soils. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science 181(1):104-136. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jpln.201600451.
https://doi.org/10.1002/jpln.201600451...
).

The role of biotic processes in aggregation is important, as the microbiota plays a key role in breaking down dead plant roots and their exudates (Baumert et al., 2018Baumert VL, Vasilyeva NA, Vladimirov AA, Meier IC, Kögel-Knabner I, Mueller CW (2018) Root exudates induce soil macroaggregation facilitated by fungi in subsoil. Frontiers in Environmental Science 6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2018.00140.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2018.00140...
). In this sense, soil organic matter is crucial for the recovery of degraded areas as it acts as a binding agent for soil particles and helps form aggregates, leading to an improvement in soil structure. A study of corn cultivation in sandy loam soil by Chatterjee et al. (2018)Chatterjee S, Bandyopadhyay KK, Pradhan S, Singh R, Datta SP (2018) Effects of irrigation, crop residue mulch and nitrogen management in maize (Zea mays L.) on soil carbon pools in a sandy loam soil of Indo-gangetic plain region. Catena 165:207-216. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2018.02.005.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2018.02...
found that practices such as irrigation, adding crop residues to the soil, and proper nitrogen fertilization can help increase the levels of organic carbon in the soil and create better conditions for soil aggregation. Thus, incorporating these practices in iron mining tailings-affected areas can aid in forming soil aggregates and enhancing the structure of the tailings.

Amaral et al. (2012)Amaral CS, Silva EB, Amaral WG, Nardis BO (2012) Crescimento de Brachiaria brizantha pela adubação mineral e orgânica em rejeito estéril da mineração de quartzito. Bioscience Journal 28(1):130-141. Available: http://www.seer.ufu.br/index.php/biosciencejournal/article/view/13250.
http://www.seer.ufu.br/index.php/bioscie...
conducted an experiment using quartzite mining tailings, which have a similar textural classification to the tailings used in our study and found that the highest root yield was 3,540 kg/ha in the treatment that combined 75% mineral fertilizer and 25% organic fertilizer. This combination accelerated root growth and improved the physical properties of quartzite tailings.

In a study on the recovery of a coal mining degraded area, Stumpf et al. (2017)Stumpf L, Pauletto EA, Pinto LFS, Fernandes FF, Silva TS, Ambus JV, Furtado-Garcia G, Dutra Junior LA, Scheunemann T (2017) Gramíneas perenes e sua relação com a recuperação de atributos físicos de um solo degradado construído. Interciencia 42(2):101-107. Available: https://www.redalyc.org/journal/339/33949912005/html/.
https://www.redalyc.org/journal/339/3394...
compared root attributes among four species of grasses and found that grass of the genus Urochloa had superior performance, making it a promising species for restoring soil physical attributes in degraded areas. However, in this study, lower values of the dry mass of roots were verified than the one found by the authors cited above, which was 13.29 kg m-3.

In a study with Xaraés grass, Bonfim-Silva et al. (2012)Bonfim-Silva EM, Valadão Júnior DD, Reis RH, Campos JJ, Scaramuzza WL (2012) Establishment of Xaraés and Marandu grasses under levels of soil compaction. Engenharia Agrícola 32(4):727-735. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0100-69162012000400012.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0100-69162012...
found no differences in RDM when soil density was a limiting factor (from 1,000 to 1,600 kg m-3). Therefore, the cultivar can absorb nutrients effectively, even when soil density increases. The highest density value used by the authors was higher than the density of the tailings used in our study (1,530 kg m-3).

The relationship between soil density and porosity, specifically macroporosity, is well established; high soil density leads to low macroporosity, which can restrict plant growth (Krzyzanski et al., 2018Krzyzanski HC, Carrenho R, Araujo MA (2018) Abiotic soil attributes and their relation to morphological root characteristics and mycorrhizal colonization of grasses. Brazilian Journal of Botany 41(3):539-549. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40415-018-0481-9.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40415-018-0481-...
). Several factors may have impacted root development in our study, including the physical-chemical properties of the soil and tailings, experimental unit size, tailings layer thickness (0.65 m), root system distribution in the soil and tailings profile, sampled area and depth, and cultivation in lysimeters, which can limit root growth and expansion.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that Xaraés grass can still produce forage dry mass and develop its root system in unfavorable conditions, due to the characteristics of the iron mining tailings.

An increase in irrigation depth has a beneficial impact on the shoot and root dry masses of Xaraés grass grown in the iron mining tailings.

Optimal shoot and root dry masses can be achieved by applying an irrigation depth equivalent to 120% of the crop evapotranspiration.

Additional research is still needed to evaluate the potential impact of animal trampling and direct grazing conditions on the physical-hydrological properties of the iron mining tailings and the growth of Xaraés grass.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brasil (CAPES) – Finance Code 001.

This work was carried out with support from CNPq, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - Brazil.

REFERENCES

  • Amaral CS, Silva EB, Amaral WG, Nardis BO (2012) Crescimento de Brachiaria brizantha pela adubação mineral e orgânica em rejeito estéril da mineração de quartzito. Bioscience Journal 28(1):130-141. Available: http://www.seer.ufu.br/index.php/biosciencejournal/article/view/13250
    » http://www.seer.ufu.br/index.php/biosciencejournal/article/view/13250
  • ANM - Agência Nacional de Mineração (2023) Anuário Mineral Brasileiro: principais substâncias metálicas. Brasília, DF, ANM. 23 p.
  • Andrade LCR, Marques EAG, Peixoto RAF (2016) Perspectivas para o reaproveitamento de rejeitos da mineração de ferro como materiais de construção. Geografias 12(1):32-44. Available: https://ufmg.br/busca?q=periodicos
    » https://ufmg.br/busca?q=periodicos
  • Barros DA, Junior MGC, Oliveira AL, Silva Neto EC (2018) Matéria orgânica e agregação do solo em áreas sobre influência da mineração de bauxita na região do Planalto de Poços de Caldas, MG. Agropecuária Científica no Semiárido 14(2):160-167. Available: http://revistas.ufcg.edu.br/acsa/index.php/ACSA/index
    » http://revistas.ufcg.edu.br/acsa/index.php/ACSA/index
  • Baumert VL, Vasilyeva NA, Vladimirov AA, Meier IC, Kögel-Knabner I, Mueller CW (2018) Root exudates induce soil macroaggregation facilitated by fungi in subsoil. Frontiers in Environmental Science 6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2018.00140
    » https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2018.00140
  • Bonfim-Silva EM, Valadão Júnior DD, Reis RH, Campos JJ, Scaramuzza WL (2012) Establishment of Xaraés and Marandu grasses under levels of soil compaction. Engenharia Agrícola 32(4):727-735. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0100-69162012000400012
    » http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0100-69162012000400012
  • Chatterjee S, Bandyopadhyay KK, Pradhan S, Singh R, Datta SP (2018) Effects of irrigation, crop residue mulch and nitrogen management in maize (Zea mays L.) on soil carbon pools in a sandy loam soil of Indo-gangetic plain region. Catena 165:207-216. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2018.02.005
    » https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2018.02.005
  • Cheruiyot D, Midega CAO, Van Den Berg J, Pickett JA, Khan ZR (2018) Genotypic responses of Brachiaria Grass (Brachiaria spp.) accessions to drought stress. Journal of Agronomy 17(3):136-146. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3923/ja.2018.136.146
    » https://doi.org/10.3923/ja.2018.136.146
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Edited by

Area Editor: Alexandre Barcellos Dalri

Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    14 Apr 2023
  • Date of issue
    2023

History

  • Received
    6 Sept 2021
  • Accepted
    8 Feb 2023
Associação Brasileira de Engenharia Agrícola SBEA - Associação Brasileira de Engenharia Agrícola, Departamento de Engenharia e Ciências Exatas FCAV/UNESP, Prof. Paulo Donato Castellane, km 5, 14884.900 | Jaboticabal - SP, Tel./Fax: +55 16 3209 7619 - Jaboticabal - SP - Brazil
E-mail: revistasbea@sbea.org.br