Soil water storage is very variable in time and space due to the influence of various environmental factors and topography. The objective was to: i) quantify the soil water storage, ii) assess the temporal stability and spatial variability of a point near to and one distant from the root system in a common bean – black oat succession iii) verify the spatial variability as a function of the soil relief. In the experimental area (1500 m2), in Piracicaba-SP (latitude 22° […]

The most traditional method to determine the soil-water retention curve is based on the Richards’ pressure plate apparatus. For practical reasons, cheaper and faster alternatives to the Richards’ apparatus are needed. Therefore, this study evaluated the use of the filter paper method. Initially, an Oxisol was sampled and physically characterized. Undisturbed soil samples were prepared and tested in Richards’ chamber, at pressures of 0, 10, 30, 60, 100, 300, 500, 1,000 and 1,500 kPa. In the filter paper test, the […]

The spatial and temporal variability of soil moisture is high due to the influence of several environmental features and the land-use. The understanding of this variability plays a fundamental role in the modeling of surface runoff, soil erosion and sediment transport. This study aimed to evaluate the spatial and temporal patterns of surface soil moisture over the annual seasons, in a watershed with predominance of Oxisols in the south of the State of Minas Gerais. For this purpose, the temporal […]

Soil β-glucosidase participates in the final step of cellulose biodegradation. It is significant in the soil C cycle and is used as an indicator of the biological fertility of soil. However, the response of its kinetic parameters to environmental temperature and moisture regimes is not well understood. This study tested the β-glucosidase response in the main agricultural soils (black soil, albic soil, brown soil, and cinnamon soil) of Northeast China. Incubation tests were conducted to measure the kinetic parameters Km, […]

Soil moisture is the property which most greatly influences the soil dielectric constant, which is also influenced by soil mineralogy. The aim of this study was to determine mathematical models for soil moisture and the dielectric constant (Ka) for a Hapludalf, two clayey Hapludox and a very clayey Hapludox and test the reliability of universal models, such as those proposed by Topp and Ledieu and their co-workers in the 80’s, and specific models to estimate soil moisture with a TDR. […]

Soil air permeability (Ka

Agricultural soils can act as a source or sink of atmospheric C, according to the soil management. This long-term experiment (22 years) was evaluated during 30 days in autumn, to quantify the effect of tillage systems (conventional tillage-CT and no-till-NT) on the soil CO2-C flux in a Rhodic Hapludox in Rio Grande do Sul State, Southern Brazil. A closed-dynamic system (Flux Chamber 6400-09, Licor) and a static system (alkali absorption) were used to measure soil CO2-C flux immediately after soybean harvest. Soil […]

The most important parameters of the LISEM model associated to surface runoff production (antecedent soil moisture (θap) and soil layer thickness), were calibrated by individual precipitation events in the Marcela Creek Watershed, Alto Rio Grande Region, MG. The hydrological effects of different land-uses in the watershed were also simulated. The model was highly sensitivity to soil moisture, which was the most important calibration paramete. The influence of the water balance layer was related to the soil moisture during calibration. It […]

The aim of this study was to characterize the morphological, physical and hydraulic soil properties in a toposequence under native plant cover in a permanent observation plot of 320 x 320 m installed in the Assis Ecological Station, São Paulo State, Brazil. The plot is covered by a remnant Savanna Woodland (Cerradão) vegetation of the southern border zone of the great Cerrado domain. The bi-dimensional geometry (horizontal and vertical) of the soil horizons in a toposequence provided details on the […]

Gliricidia sepium is a leguminous tree that has been used in alley cropping systems in the Northeastern semi-arid region of Brazil because of its good development under water stress conditions. However, little information is available on the effects of the introduction of this species into regional agroecosystems. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the influence of the distance of Gliricidia sepium plants on the characteristics of maize crop, soil properties and microclimate conditions in the semi-arid region […]