Soil potentially toxic element contents in an area under different land uses in the Brazilian Amazon.

Soil pollution with potentially toxic elements (PTE) from incipient basic sanitation, dumps and industrial activities developed in the Amazon has been of international interest due to health and environmental issues. This study aimed to evaluate the concentration of PTE in five adjacent land occupations (a dump, a alumina refinery area and three residential centers) in the municipality of Barcarena, Amazon Region, Brazil. In a total area of 912 ha, 274 soil samples were collected at a depth of 0-0.2 m. Afterwards, the concentrations of As, Ba, Pb, Co, Cu, Cr, Hg, Ni and Zn were determined. The results were explored using descriptive and multivariate statistics, as well as geostatistical. Considering the data by location, maximum concentrations exceeding the prevention values of Brazilian soils were found for Cu, Ni and Zn in Dump (148; 42.8 and 356 mg kg-1), for Cu and Hg in Bom Futuro (333 and 1.99 mg kg-1) and for Cu in Itupanema (91.2 mg kg-1). Cu, Hg, Pb and Zn were grouped in the same principal component and showed the highest similarity measure in the cluster analysis. The interpolation point maps of the two principal components and of the individual concentrations of the PTEs showed the area of influence of the dump as the main reason for the increase in soil contamination. These results show the need for public policies aimed at the proper disposal of solid waste, in order to promote the reduction of pollutants in the soil, health and well-being for the local population, and also the environmental quality of the study area.

Simultaneous selection of cupuassu tree and Brazilian mahogany genotypes in an agroforestry system in Pará state, Brazil

This study aimed to evaluate and select progenies and matrices of cupuassu-tree siblings, and to select Brazilian mahogany matrices with superior characteristics to be used in agroforestry systems (AFS). Twenty-five full cupuassu tree sibling progenies and one Brazilian mahogany half-sibling progeny were evaluated. The study was conducted for 14 years in a commercial property in Tomé Açu, Pará State, Brazil. The number of fruits and fruit yield per plant, as well as the rate of plants with symptoms of witches' broom disease, were used as response variables for cupuassu. For mahogany, the following response variables were used: total height, commercial height, crown height, diameter at breast height and commercial wood volume. There were five cupuassu tree progenies with interesting characteristics to be used in AFS. Based on the high values observed in the selection accuracy and heritabilities, a good potential for the selection of promising individuals in the cupuassu tree population is inferred. Based on the ranking of genotypic values and their agronomic performance, 10 matrices of cupuassu tree were selected. For Brazilian mahogany, three matrices showed excellent silvicultural performance. The matrices of these two species should be propagated vegetatively in order to evaluate clonal tests. (AU)