Diagnose of soil fertility properties of a representative agricultural mesoregion in the Cerrado biome as affected by land use.

In Brazil, most of cereal production is concentrated in the Cerrado which is characterized by poor soils. Thus, the soil fertility management is important for suitable use of Cerrado's soils. After 40 years of increasing use of Cerrado for agricultural purposes, this work aimed to evaluate the soil fertility of a representative area known as Triângulo Mineiro and Alto Paranaíba (TMAP) mesoregion.

Decomposition of leaf litter in the Brazilian savanna on limestone and sandstone Neosols.

Litter decomposition in the soil is an important stage of the nutrient cycling process that interferes with functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. Soil fertility and litter nutritional quality are fundamental factors that affect decomposition efficiency of plant residues. We evaluated decomposition in two areas of 'cerrado sensu stricto', each with a type of Neosol - limestone (eutrophic) and sandstone (dystrophic).