Soil respiration is a major component of the global carbon cycle which links ecosystems and the atmosphere. To evaluate the reaction of soil respiration after wetting, during a dry period, soil respiration and associated environmental factors were measured over a 24-h period, during the dry season in North Cameroon after wetting the soil. Over 24-h, soil respiration rates followed a quadratic curve during the day coming close to linear at night, while soil temperature and moisture together explained at least 73 % of the variations during the 24-h observed. These soil respiration rates increased during the morning, peaked between 11h00 and 13h00 and then decreased gradually to the minimum around 06h00. These observations were used to propose a method for estimating mean daytime and nighttime soil respiration after wetting the soil. The method proposed in this study has the advantage of being based on a small number of measurements and is, therefore, easier to implement for monitoring 24-h soil respiration after the first rains following a long dry period.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar as concentrações de íons na solução de um Latossolo Vermelho, em diferentes sistemas de manejo. Foram avaliados os sistemas de lavoura e pastagem contínua, assim como os rotacionados em integração lavoura-pecuária. O experimento foi iniciado em 1991, e as coletas das soluções foram realizadas em 2005 e 2006. Cápsulas porosas foram instaladas às profundidades de 20 e 150 cm, e as soluções foram extraídas em seis épocas de cada ano. As concentrações de Cl-, SO4(2-), NO3-, H2PO4-, K+, Mg2+ e Ca2+ foram determinadas. Independentemente das profundidades e dos sistemas de manejo, a concentração de íons nas soluções, em ordem decrescente de grandeza, foi: NO3- >Cl- >SO4(2-) >H2PO4- e Ca2+ >K+ >Mg2+. Entre os sistemas de cultivo, a concentração dos íons na solução decresceu e foi maior em lavoura contínua sob preparo convencional, seguida de lavoura contínua sob plantio direto e, finalmente, pelo sistema de integração lavoura-pecuária e pela pastagem contínua. À profundidade de 150 cm, as concentrações dos íons na solução do solo sob pastagem contínua e integração lavoura-pecuária foram sempre baixas, o que indica baixo risco de lixiviação.

The objective of this work was to evaluate ion concentrations in an Oxisol solution, in plots subjected to different management systems. Continuous crop and pasture, and the integrated crop-livestock management system were evaluated. The experiment started in 1991, and the soil solutions were collected in 2005 and 2006. Ceramic cups were installed at 20 and 150 cm soil depths, and the solutions were extracted six times each year. The concentrations of Cl-, SO4(2-), NO3-, H2PO4-, K+, Mg2+, and Ca2+ were determined. Irrespective of the depths and cropping systems considered, the concentrations of ions into the soil solutions, in decreasing order, were: NO3- >Cl- >SO4(2-) >H2PO4- and Ca2+ >K+ >Mg2+. Among the cropping systems, the ion concentrations in the soil solution was higher in the continuous crop under conventional tillage, followed by the continuous crop under no-tillage, and finally by the integrated crop-livestock system and the continuous pasture. At 150 cm depth, the ion concentrations in soil solutions under continuous pasture and integrated crop-livestock system were always low, which indicates a low leaching risk.