Avaliação de pomares de mangueira como alternativa para a reabilitação de áreas degradadas no estado do Pará.

Abstract

Degraded areas are expanding in the Amazon; this increase causes the imbalance of the environment- atmosphere interaction, making it necessary to implement mitigating actions. Mango tree (Mangifera indica L.) cultivated in orchard could as an alternative for degraded areas rehabilitation. This thesis aims to evaluate a mango orchard as an alternative for degraded areas rehabilitation in northeast Pará, Brazil. The thesis was developed in three chapters, and each chapter has a theme: soil quality, litter, and microclimate. The study was developed in Salinópolis, Pará, Brazil. Soil quality was evaluated in the period from July 2014 to June 2016; where 11 chemical, physical and biological attributes of the soil were monitored. The evaluation of soil quality considered the influence of seasonal rainfall in the region. The litter was monitored from July 2015 to June 2016. Litter production, nutrient input to the soil via litter, and litter decomposition were evaluated. The microclimate in the understory was monitored daily from December 2015 to November 2016, considering four distinct seasons, according to the seasonal rains in the region; were monitored: maximum, minimum, and average air temperature, thermal air amplitude, and atmospheric water vapor pressure deficit. The seasonal rains affected the soil properties, especially in the 5-10cm depth and degraded area. Mango orchards do not improve soil quality when compared to degraded areas. The production and the nutrients contribution to the soil via litter were similar between the forest and the mango orchard. The decomposition process was rapider in mango orchard than degraded area, especially during the rainy season. The mango orchard promotes microclimate mitigation in the understory by mainly reducing the maximum temperature and thermal amplitude of the air in relation to the microclimate in the understory of the degraded area. The mango orchard can be used as an alternative for the rehabilitation of degraded areas in northeast Pará, Brazil, as it rehabilitates important ecosystem services, such as improving soil protection (litter), nutrient cycling and climate control.