Soil phisico-hydrical properties uder different crop systems

Abstract

Soil management can influence its physical and water quality, therefore, knowledge of changes in soil attributes helps to evaluate its real conditions. The aim was to evaluate the physical-water properties of the soil in no-tillage, conventional tillage and native forest area. Undisturbed soil samples were collected in the layers: 0.00-0.10; 0.10-0.20; 0.20-0.30; 0.30-0.40 and 0.40-0.50 m. The experimental design was completely randomized in subdivided plots scheme; the plots were constituted by conventional planting system (CPS), no-tillage system (NTS) and native forest (NF), and the subplots were the soil layers. The attributes analyzed were total porosity, soil density, available water capacity and water retention curve in the soil. For each variable evaluated, the analysis of variance and the comparison of means (Tukey p> 0.05) were performed. The NTS and CPS provide changes in the physical properties of the soil and in the shape of the water retention curves in the soil. NTS and CPS do not influence soil density in the superï¬cial layer (0.00-0.10 m). The no-tillage system causes higher subsurface compaction (0.10-0.20 m) and provides less retention of water in the soil when compared to CPS and NF, possibly these attributes vary according to the cultivation time.