Books from the Cerrado Collection can be downloaded for free

Eleven classic publications about the Cerrado are now available for download free. The Cerrado Collection addresses topics such as ecology and flora, gallery forests, food use, soil correction and fertilization, among others. 

The titles were published for fourteen years, between 1998 and 2012, bringing together information from the team of researchers and technicians at Embrapa Cerrados. The content remains up to date to this day and is widely used by students.

Previously only sold in printed format by Livraria da Embrapa, the publications, now in digital format, can be downloaded via website from the company. “We consider it important to offer these books free of charge to society. The publications help to better understand the Cerrado biome, both for its development and preservation”, says Shirley Araújo, librarian at Embrapa Cerrados. 

Felipe Ribeiro, researcher at Embrapa Cerrados and author of some works in the collection, remembers that knowledge must serve society and that the scientific community cannot forget this purpose. He adds: “In general, we don’t value what we don’t know. This is a great opportunity for people to learn more about this great Cerrado of ours. The knowledge made available here shows the value of the Cerrado biome, not only for the Cerratenses who live here, but for the whole of Brazil, showing how to conserve our soil, water, biodiversity, in short, our natural resources”.

Researcher Alexandre Specht emphasizes that the free digital format facilitates the dissemination of content to families, groups of friends, researchers and other interested parties: “I believe it will have a huge effect on the dissemination of these works”. 

Downloadable titles

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Cerrado – Galeria Forests - José Felipe Ribeiro (1998)

It points out the economic, environmental and scientific importance of forests for water and soil conservation. Its maintenance and perpetuity depend on the rational and planned use of springs and riparian forests. The work also represents the causes of degradation of riparian forests, addresses issues related to seedling production, germination, growth and conservation of species, recovery, in addition to presenting 68 families with 212 genera and almost 500 species from the Cerrado. 

Cerrado – Food use - Semiramis Pedrosa de Almeida (1998)

It brings more than 200 practical ideas for small producers to add value to the product generated on their farm or farm, considering a series of sustainability parameters. One of them is the carrying capacity of the working environment, since collecting fruit from the Cerrado is still an almost exclusively extractive activity. 

The book introduces the reader to the environment of gallery forests in the context of the Cerrado region, characterizing and emphasizing the very complex forest formations that this region contains. Soil characterization studies are presented; aspects about vegetation; phenology and reproductive biology of key species; dispersion pattern of all woody species found in surveys in the Federal District until 1999. It also brings together studies on fauna, with results from quantitative and qualitative inventories, and the microorganisms present in these areas.

The species richness of both the flora and fauna of the Cerrado is very significant, representing around 30% of Brazilian biodiversity. Knowledge about the ecological processes that govern the structuring and functioning of biotic and abiotic relationships in the biome is important to mitigate impacts on its diversity and for the sustainable use of natural resources.                       

It highlights the technologies that made the region's excellent agricultural performance possible, which allowed the incorporation of highly weathered, acidic and nutrient-poor soils into the agricultural production process. It makes available to readers a series of essential information for sustainable soil management. It brings recommendations for soil correction and compatible fertilization for agricultural, livestock and forestry production that serves the producer and society, in harmony with the Cerrado environment on a permanent basis. 

Soil conditioning plants (green manures and cover crops) represent one of the options for species diversity with impacts on the quality of the soil and, consequently, the agroecosystems established in Cerrado areas. The book covers everything from the history of the use of green manures, including their introduction in the Cerrado, to the economic feasibility study of their use in the agroecosystem of this biome.

The need for fertilization of pastures in this region of the Cerrado is evidenced by the fact that most soils do not provide nutrients in adequate quantities for plant growth and extraction levels from forages used in the formation of pastures. The low economic returns obtained by livestock farming are due to low forage production, which may be a consequence of the non-use of fertilizers and poor grazing management. The publication provides fertilization recommendations according to the intensity, use and type of soil, capable of improving the productive capacity of cultivated pastures.

Following the update and addition of content to the out-of-print publication Cerrado: environment and flora, this brings an expanded list of the Cerrado flora, in a database format, with description and classification of organisms, within the taxonomic systems. This is because the authors understand that to use and preserve the Cerrado biome, it is first necessary to know its phytophysiognomies and the species that make up it.

The Cerrado has around 320 thousand plant, animal and microorganism species, in addition to important agricultural production. However, in recent decades, natural resources have been treated in a fractional way, as if they were not components of a dynamic system. Working systematically and developing technologies that are less harmful to the environment contributes to the conservation and planned use of resources. In this sense, the publication presents advances in the development of technologies compatible with current and future scenarios.

The beneficial association between mycorrhizal fungi and plant roots has always been present in all production systems and has contributed significantly to their sustainability and environmental preservation. The publication presents the knowledge and results of studies carried out over 30 years on the subject, considering two main lines: management of native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and arbuscular mycorrhiza in production systems; inoculation of these fungi to implement sustainable development models. 

All publications are available on the Embrapa Cerrados. Click here to download the collection.