Restaurando o Cerrado: Inovações em Semeadura Direta e Substratos Orgânicos para florestas aluviais

Abstract

The Savannah, the second-largest biome in South America, covers 1,983,017 km² (23.3%) of Brazil and lies over the continent's three largest river basins, resulting in high aquifer potential and unique biodiversity with endemic species. However, agricultural intensification and inadequate management practices have led to ecosystem degradation, particularly in floodplain forests, which depend on water bodies. This degradation alters the soil's physical and chemical properties, hindering ecological restoration and impacting seedling establishment and seed emergence, thereby compromising species survival. In this context, Chapter 1 evaluated whether the use of mounds with different organic substrates favors the establishment and survival of native seedlings in Savannah floodplain areas. The experiment, conducted with Calophyllum brasiliense (CB) and Triplaris americana (TA), used a completely randomized design with two factors (presence and absence of mounds) and four treatments (control, Dipteryx alata Vogel bark, charcoal fines, and a mixture of both). Analysis of variance (ANOVA two way) and Tukey's test revealed that mounds favored the establishment of Calophyllum brasiliense, with a survival rate of 51.56% (66 seedlings), while Triplaris americana showed 35.94% (46 seedlings). Organic substrates positively impacted both species. In Chapter 2, the objective was to evaluate whether the use of mounds with different organic substrates promotes the emergence and survival of native seeds in Cerrado floodplain areas. The study focused on the emergence and survival of seeds from three native species (Mauritia flexuosa L.f, Triplaris americana L e Protium heptaphyllum (Aubl.) Marchand.) in floodplain areas. Emergence was 12.16% (73 individuals), with 58.9% in mounds and 41.1% without mounds. Mauritia flexuosa stood out as the most resilient species, with 59 emerged individuals. The results indicate that mounds and organic substrates are promising strategies for restoring floodplain areas, but success depends on the specificities of each species and soil conditions.