Sewage sludge as substrate in Schinus terebinthifolia raddi seedlings commercial production.

Schinus terebinthifolia Raddi is a species with several potential uses; selecting the proper substrate and fertilizer rate can be vital for seedling production in a nursery environment. This study aims to evaluate two substrates, namely: (i) sewage sludge (SS) from Ilha WWTP; (ii) a commercial substrate (CS) made of organic materials (mainly sphagnum peat). Increasing rates of controlled-release fertilizer - CRF (0, 3, 6, and 12 kg m-3) were applied. The experiment was completely randomized with a factorial 2 × 4 scheme (substrates × rates). The seedlings' growth, biomass, and quality were evaluated. The treatments were compared by Tukey test and regression analysis, where linear, quadratic, and cubic models were considered. Principal components analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis were performed. The CRF rates showed non-significant effects for most of the investigated variables in the SS substrate. In the CS, a 7.8 kg m-3 rate of CRF showed the best growth performance. The multivariate analysis of the morphological parameters proved suitable as a complementary approach to evaluate the seedlings' quality. Seedlings reached recommended values for height, diameter, and quality in the 100% SS substrate without chemical fertilizers; thus, Schinus terebinthifolia production in the SS from Ilha is recommended. Besides the growth advantage, the SS can promote nursery cost savings with commercial substrates and chemical fertilizers.

Anthropogenic and climatic influences in the swamp environment of the Pandeiros River basin, Minas Gerais-Brazil.

Several environmental impacts are resulting from the process of anthropization and climate variability that have caused degradation of biomes and humid environments. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the anthropic process and the variation of climatic conditions on the dynamics of the marsh vegetation in the Pandeiros River preservation area in the north of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) of product MOD13Q1 and the gross primary productivity (GPP) of product MOD17A2 of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) were used for the period from 2001 to 2017 were used in this process. Rain and air temperature data were obtained from the Conventional Weather Station of Januária-MG. The time series were submitted to the nonparametric statistical test of Mann-Kendall. The process of anthropization of the swamp area in the environmental protection area of the Pandeiros River/MG (EPA) showed a pattern of expansion of vegetation cover associated with the reduction of the water table, a phenomenon resulting from the silting process and reduction of the incidence of rain in this region, which contributes to the reduction of ecosystem services. Thus, understanding the influence of climatic variables on the dynamics of vegetation in humid environments, such as the EPA swamp area on the Pandeiros River, is essential for the preservation and recovery of these ecosystems and for the implementation of public policies for preservation and conservation.

Spectral trend of vegetation with rainfall in events of El Niño-Southern Oscillation for Atlantic Forest biome, Brazil.

This study aimed to analyze the spectral trend of vegetation with rainfall in El Niño-Southern Oscillation events (ENSO) in the Atlantic Forest, Brazil. Monthly rainfall data were collected from 85 conventional meteorological stations (EMC), data from the Enhanced Vegetation Index 2 (EVI2) and ENSO events (El Niño, La Niña, and Neutral) in the period from 2001 to 2013. Afterwards, state cluster analysis was performed using the results of non-parametric tests. The Mann-Kendall (MK) non-parametric test did not identify a trend pattern in rainfall distribution in the Atlantic Forest. The results for EVI2 by state and region showed that the trend is decreasing in the Northeast Region, except for the states of Alagoas and Pernambuco. Southeast region showed an increasing trend of EVI2 (except for Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo), while the South region showed a decreasing trend. In the Midwest, the trend was significantly decreasing. In the prognosis elaborated for the future, the regions with significant declines of the vegetation were the Northeast and Midwest. This study shows that the Atlantic Forest in some regions of Brazil has been suffering from the growing urbanization process and there is a trend of soil degradation.