A saúva do Nordeste, Atta opaciceps Borgmeier 1939, como um agente de intemperismo propulsor da fertilidade do solo

Abstract

The northeast leaf-cutting ant, Atta opaciceps Borgmeier , 1939 (Hymenoptera : Formicidae) has long been known as a major insididus pest in the State of Ceara, Brazil. Previous experiments had shown that the soil fertility in the mounds was higher than the agricultural soil bordering the ant's nest. Then, a project was set up to evaluate the behavior of four different crops, i.e., cotton c.v. IAC - 19, cassava c.v. Olho Verde, corn c.v. Centralmex and soybean c.v. Tropical cultivated in three types of substratum, as follows: a) soil collected from the mounds; b) agricultural soil sampled at 0 - 20cm deep, and c) a mixture of three parts of agricultural soil plus one part of the soil sampled from the mounds. [...]