In modern agriculture, several factors cause changes in the soil physical properties. The time of establishment of a crop (plantation age) and the slope are examples of factors that moderate the impact of mechanized operations on the soil structure. The objective of this study was to analyze the effect of machinery traffic on the physical properties of a Red-Yellow Latosol under coffee plantations with different ages (2, 7, 18, and 33 years) and slope positions (3, 9 and 15 %). […]

Most studies related to soil aggregation associate the effect of managements or land use types with the organic matter content. However, a direct evaluation of microorganisms and their processes in undisturbed soil allows a better understanding of the real effect of different managements. The objective of this study was to evaluate the changes induced by different types of land use (pasture, eucalyptus forest, araucaria forest, conventional tillage with carrot, and conventional tillage with pumpkin) on soil chemical properties (pH, Ca, […]

The use of cover crops is a practice that can improve the physical quality of soils. The objective of this work was to evaluate the potential of intercropping of summer legumes with maize to improve soil physical properties. The study was conducted in the field from September 2008 to September 2009, in an Ultisol in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul. The experiment was arranged in a randomized block design with five treatments and four replications. The treatments consisted of […]

The water quality used in irrigation is a decisive factor for crop productivity and soil quality in the Brazilian semiarid. The effects of the saline concentrations of two different water quality samples (river and shallow well resources) on the physical properties (clay dispersed in water, flocculation level, density, porosity, stability and mean weighted diameter of water-stable aggregates) were tested. The experiments were carried out in 2000/2001 on an Entisol under Musa sp. cv. Pacovan. The soil density, water-dispersed clay, and […]

Crop-livestock integration represents an interesting alternative of soil management, especially in regions where the maintenance of cover crops in no-tillage systems is difficult. The objective of this study was to evaluate soil physical and chemical properties, based on the hypothesis that a well-managed crop-livestock integration system improves the soil quality and stabilizes the system. The experiment was set up in a completely randomized design, with five replications. The treatments were arranged in a 6 x 4 factorial design, to assess […]

Laser diffraction (LD) provides detailed analysis of particle size distribution. Its application to testing the stability of soil aggregates can assist studies on the aggregation of soils with contrasting electrochemical properties. The objectives of the present work were: (a) to propose a protocol for using LD to study soil aggregation, (b) to study the aggregation of an Acrisol under the influence of different doses and forms of lime. Samples were collected in 2005 from a Brazilian Acrisol that in 1994 […]

The potential yield of sugarcane depends on factors related to climate, soil and the plant variety. Management systems that provide the addition of organic waste to the soil can cause changes in physical attributes of the soil, enhancing the growth of the root system and sugarcane yield. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different management systems at several levels of organic residue addition on the distribution and indices of aggregate stability of dystrophic cohesive Yellow […]

Models of soil water erosion prediction and estimation are generally based on a series of parameters, normally determined by applying simulated rainfall in the field or laboratory. The use of simpler, faster and cheaper parameters such as texture, content and oxide type and aggregate water stability may contribute to facilitate the estimation of the factor interrill soil erodibility (Ki). The purpose of this study was: i) to determine the interrill soil erodibility of three Brazilian Oxisols; ii) evaluate the use […]

Soil compaction limits grain yields. Among others factors, soil amendment with agricultural lime can contribute to micro-aggregate dispersion and the formation of compacted layers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of lime on soil physical attributes related to soil compaction. The experiment was carried out in PVC columns, in a glass house, during 18 months. Sterilized and non-sterilized samples of a dystrophic Red Latosol (Hapludox) were incubated with 0, 1.9, 3.8, 5.7, 7.6 and 15.2 Mg […]

Brazil is the world’s largest sugarcane producer, so changes in sugarcane management in Brazil can affect the environment to a great extent. During almost one century, studies were carried out in cropping systems involving pre-harvest burning of aerial sugarcane residues. Nowadays the green trash management of sugarcane residues has become a common practice, although the effects are still poorly documented. The objective of this work was to compare topsoil carbon and nitrogen stocks, aggregation and bulk density in Brazilian sugarcane […]