Eucalyptus harvesting, forwarding and soil tillage operations are among the main causes for compaction of forest soils, with potential impacts on productivity. This concern is especially important in areas with soils that are naturally compacted (fragipans and duripans). In these soils, tillage operations include the use of subsoilers that can reach depths of more than one meter and require heavy tractors that exert high pressure on the soil. One of the ways to try to minimize the effect of this compaction is by retaining harvest residues. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impacts of eucalyptus harvesting on soil physical attributes, as well as to determine the potential of different types of residue management to reduce compaction from the soil tillage operation. Two experiments were conducted in the same area with a Yellow Argisol. In the first experiment, compaction caused by mechanized harvesting with harvester + forwarder was evaluated. In the second experiment, different managements of harvest residues were examined as potential modifiers of soil compaction during tillage for new plantings. For this, three managements systems were tested: (1) retention of all harvest residues and litter from the previous rotation (HR + L), (2) retention of litter from the previous rotation (L), and (3) removal of harvest residues and litter from the previous rotation (WR). Before and after harvest, sampling was carried out in the planting rows and inter-rows, and after tillage, samples were collected in the traffic line of the subsoiler-tractor set. In both experiments, undisturbed soil samples were collected from the center of the 0–10, 10–20, 20–40, 40–60, and 60–100 cm layers to determine soil density and total porosity. In each period and site of evaluation, mechanical resistance to penetration up to the 60-cm depth was also determined. The harvesting operation increased soil density at 0–10 and 60–100 cm depths only in the inter-rows. Retention of harvest residues and litter (HR + L) after harvesting avoided increases in soil density and penetration resistance caused by machine traffic during tillage. The results indicate the importance of retaining harvest residues on forest soils for achieving sustainable utilization and for conserving soil quality.

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The objective of this study was to evaluate CO2, N2O and CH4 fluxes and C fixation in the soil-plant system, in an area with different managements of eucalyptus harvest residues. Before the experiment was set up, a plot was selected at the end of the third rotation (5 years) and harvested using the Harvester + Forwarder system. After harvest, the coppicing system was adopted and three types of residue management were established: 1. Maintenance of all harvest residues and litter from the previous rotation (HR+L), 2. Maintenance of litter from the previous rotation (L), 3. Removal of harvest residues and litter from the previous rotation (WR). Soil gas flux was sampled 5 days before harvest and at 4 times (distributed along the dry and rainy seasons) over 22.3 months. To collect the gases, PVC chambers were introduced into the soil to a depth of 5 cm in the planting rows and inter-rows. Subsequently, the gas samples were analyzed by gas chromatography. To evaluate C inputs in the system, the quantity of C in the plants and organic matter content in the first ten centimeters of soil were quantified at the end of the experiment (22.3 months). There was higher CO2 equivalent flux in the soil in the area with HR+L at 0.3 and 9.3 months after harvest, with no differences between the treatments WR and L. CO2 equivalent fluxes were similar among all treatments in the samplings performed at 15.8 and 22.3 months after harvest. No differences were observed in the treatments regarding organic matter content in the soil and C fixation in plant biomass.

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O sensoriamento remoto, por meio das técnicas de razão de bandas para o monitoramento nutricional de plantios clonais de eucalipto, é fundamental para garantir a sanidade, produtividade e reduzir custos de empreendimentos florestais. Objetivou-se aplicar índices de vegetação a partir de imagens de satélite de alta resolução na diagnose nutricional de macronutrientes em plantios de híbridos clonais de Eucalyptus urophylla S. T. Blake. O estudo foi realizado em 62 áreas de seis municípios do estado da Bahia sob cultivo de plantios homogêneos de eucalipto, com idades entre 1,3 e 1,8 anos. O delineamento foi inteiramente casualizado com seis tratamentos constituídos pelo regime pluviométrico (1000 a 1300 mm ano-1 e 1300 a 1600 mm ano-1) e tipos de solo (classe e textura). A diagnose nutricional de nitrogênio (N), fósforo (P), potássio (K), cálcio (Ca), magnésio (Mg) e enxofre (S) foi realizada a partir da análise foliar e da determinação dos índices de vegetação: índice de vegetação por diferença normalizada (NDVI), índice de diferença normalizada da água (NDWI) e índice de vegetação ajustado ao solo (SAVI). As áreas avaliadas possuem alto vigor (NDVI > 0,70) e os maiores valores foram observados nas regiões chuvosas (1300 a 1600 mm ano-1) (médio de 0,78). O índice NDWI apresenta maior correlação para os teores médios de Ca e Mg. Os índices NDVI, NDWI e SAVI apresentam forte correlação entre si (-0,97 a 1,00) e podem auxiliar no mapeamento do vigor e consequentemente na produtividade de eucalipto.