Infrastructure

The Soil Science Department and the SNP offer facilities and personnel to support teaching, research, and extension activities, with a greater emphasis on undergraduate and graduate teaching and research.

This infrastructure also serves other graduate programs at UFV and other Federal Higher Education Institutions (IFES), in addition to meeting the service demands of external users of UFV, such as rural producers, companies, municipal governments, government agencies, among others, carrying out pedological, agronomic, hydrological, and environmental analysis studies, as well as analysis of fertilizers, correctives, plant materials, organic and inorganic wastes, substrates, sediments, among others.

The SNP has 16 laboratories and 19 laboratory technicians who are permanent staff of UFV, in addition to 11 outsourced laboratory technicians. Each laboratory is under the responsibility and coordination of a professor from DPS-UFV. Graduate and undergraduate students (including those in scientific initiation, scholarship holders, and interns from various categories) use the laboratories according to the specific needs of each ongoing research project.

Laboratories

1 – Sample Reception Laboratory
Objective: To register soil, rock, sediment, and plant samples for analysis.
Coordinator: Prof. Reinaldo Bertola Cantarutti
Responsible: Helderson Rodrigues Alves / Joseli de Freitas Gouvea Marques
Phone: (31) 3612 4538

2 – Trace Elements Laboratory
Objective: To perform chemical analyses of soil, plant, and waste samples with high precision in a controlled environment.
Coordinator: Profa. Isabela Cristina Filardi Vasques
Laboratory Technician: Zélia Estevão Barbosa
Phone: (31) 3612 4535

3 – Multi-User Detection Analysis Laboratory
Objective: To support teaching, research, and extension activities in chemical analysis in the various areas of the Department and UFV. It has: * 2 Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometers (ICP-OES), Thermo and Perkin Elmer Model Optima 8300 DV * Varian Spectra AA Atomic Absorption Spectrometer, Model 220FS coupled with Gravite Furnace Model GTA 110 and VGA 77 Hydride Generator. * Agilent Technologies 200 Series AA Atomic Absorption Spectrometer Model 240 FS*.
Coordinator: Prof. Edson Márcio Mattiello
Laboratory Technicians: Adriana Corrêa Mendonça / Janilson Gonçalves da Rocha / Antônio Carlos Alves Pinto / Mayara Silva Dut

4 – Soil Fertility Laboratory
Objective: To support chemical analyses in teaching and research activities in soil fertility and related areas.
Coordinator: Prof. Samuel Vasconcelos Valadares
Laboratory Technician: Marcus Vinicius de Andrade Barros
Phone: (31) 3612 4517

5 – Laboratory for Land Use Planning Studies
Objective: To develop processes and products for rural property planning actions and urban planning and registration, using panoramic and vertical aerial photos with stereoscopy as the main tool. Develops teaching resources for environmental education.
Coordinator: Prof. Genelício Crusoé Rocha
Phone: (31) 3612 3034

6 – Geoprocessing Laboratory
Objective: To support teaching activities and mapping and land use studies through the application of remote sensing resources and geographic information systems.
Coordinator: Prof. Elpídio Inácio Fernandes Filho
Phone: (31) 3612 4545

7 – Geochemistry Laboratory
Objective: To support chemical analyses in teaching and research activities in soil and surface chemistry. Provides analysis services for total fractions and mineralogical characterization.
Coordinator: Prof. Hidelblandi Farias de Melo
Laboratory Technician: Josemar Ferreira Barros
Phone: (31) 3612 4526

8 – Stable Isotopes Laboratory
Objective: To perform chemical analyses, especially with stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen.
Coordinator: Prof. Rafael da Silva Teixeira
Agronomist: João José de Miranda Milagres
Laboratory Technician: Humberto Teixeira Rosado
Phone: (31) 3612 4562

9 – Routine Soil Fertility and Plant Analysis Laboratory
Objective: Chemical analysis of soil for fertility evaluation. Procedures recommended by the Minas Gerais State Fertility Commission – Recommendation for the Use of Correctives and Fertilizers in Minas Gerais, 5th Approximation, are adopted.
Coordinator: Prof. Reinaldo Bertola Cantarutti
Laboratory Technicians: Geovani do Carmo Copati da Silva, Edson Faria da Silva, José Roberto Valente, Írio Fernando de Freitas, Mariana Alice Dutra Teixeira, Maria de Fátima Ferreira Lopes, Jaqueline Lopes Pires e Poliana Gonçalves da Silva
Phone: (31) 3612 4520

10 – Organic Matter and Waste Laboratory
Objective: To provide support in analyses related to teaching and research activities on soil organic matter, organic waste, and water. To provide services in the analysis of organic waste and water.
Coordinator: Prof. Teogenes Senna de Oliveira
Laboratory Technician: Paloma Viana Ferreira de Sousa
Phone: (31) 3612 3033

11 – Mineralogy Laboratory
Objective: To support mineralogical analyses in teaching and research activities in mineralogy and related areas. Has Rigaku X-ray diffractometer equipment. Provides X-ray diffractometry services.
Coordinator: Prof. Francis Henrique Tenório Firmino
Laboratory Technician: José Maurício Lino
Phone: (31) 3612 4518

12 – Environmental Recovery Laboratory
Objective: To support research in the area of Degraded Area Recovery, through chemical analyses and space for setting up laboratory experiments.
Coordinator: Prof. Igor Rodrigues de Assis
Phone: (31) 3612 4564

13 – Controlled Environment Agriculture Laboratory
Objective: To conduct experiments under controlled environmental conditions (light, temperature, humidity, water and nutrient supply), using pot phenotyping systems to characterize plant performance and generate qualified information that supports research in sustainable agriculture and crop management.
Coordinator: Prof. Edson Márcio Mattiello
Researcher: Juscimar da Silva (EMBRAPA)

15 – Soil Physics Laboratory
Objective: To provide soil physical analysis support for teaching and research activities in soil physics and related areas. Provision of services offering various physical analyses.
Coordinator: Prof. Genelício Crusoé Rocha
Laboratory Technicians: Cláudio Márcio Brustolini / Adriana Lopes de Arruda Gomes
Phone: (31) 3612 4530

16 – Phosphates Hub
Objective: To act as a research, development, innovation, and human resources training center in phosphate fertilizers, evaluating sources, technologies, and strategies for efficient phosphorus use, in conjunction with the National Fertilizer Policy, aiming at crop nutritional security, reducing external dependence, and the sustainability of agricultural production systems.
Coordinator: Prof. Edson Márcio Mattiello

Other Facilities

In addition to the laboratories, the SNP has the following infrastructure to support the development of graduate activities:

1 – Warehouse
2 – Greenhouses (3)
3 – Sectorial Library
4 – Alexis Dorofeef Earth Sciences Museum: www.mctad.ufv.br
5 – Secretariat
6 – Sample preparation rooms for soils and plant material (2)
7 – Videoconference room
8 – Soil Banks of the State of Minas Gerais: www.bsmg.ufv.br
9 – Amazonian Soils Bank
10 – Anthropogenic Soils and Doce River Sediments Bank
11 – Arctic and Antarctic Soils Bank
12 – Terrantar Hub: www.terrantar.ufv.br
13 – Forest Soil Nutrition Hub: www.nutreeufv.com.br
14 – Meeting rooms (2)
15 – Graduate student rooms (8)
16 – Post-doctoral student room (1)

Computing Resources and Internet Connection

DPS-UFV provides various computing resources to professors and students of PPGSNP-UFV, including a local network connected to the internet via fiber optics that serves all laboratories, study rooms, and offices, as well as wireless access throughout its premises.

The computing resources made available by DPS and PPGSNP include: 147 desktop microcomputers; 5 laptops; 40 printers, including one for A2 size; two digital whiteboards; 5 televisions for classroom projections; two plotters (HP A0 size and HP Designjet Z6100ps); four A0 size digitizing tables; 4 A4 size scanners; 18 digital cameras, in addition to 13 data projectors for seminar presentations and undergraduate and graduate classes.

All this equipment can be used in graduate studies and by graduate students, depending on scheduling and priorities (e.g., classes and seminars). Exclusively available to graduate students are the computer room equipment reserved for them, with connections to the DPS local network and the internet via fiber optics. Of the equipment listed previously, this room contains 4 desktop computers, an A4 scanner, and two printers: a laser and an inkjet.

Sectorial Library

The Sectorial Library of DPS-UFV, fully accessible to SNP-UFV, is maintained through continuous efforts to expand its collection. In addition to serving SNP faculty and students, it also serves undergraduate and graduate students from other UFV graduate programs. It is located in the Department of Soils building, just a few steps away from all Program members.

The current collection of the Sectorial Library exceeds 3,000 volumes, including books, theses, scientific journals, reports, and research bulletins. The library is fully computerized for collection control, aiming to facilitate and expedite consultations and book and journal loans. The collection is also integrated with the UFV Central Library, allowing access to the entire university community.