The structure change caused by soil compaction is a limiting factor to growth and development of plants. The objective of this study was to evaluate the physical parameters of an Eutrophic Oxisol in Jaboticabal, SP. Aggregate stability, hydraulic conductivity and “S” index were evaluated in a completely randomized split-plot (four levels of compaction and two depth), with four replications and an area of native forest (NF) as control. The compaction treatments consisted of C0 = 0, C1 = 2, C2= […]

Studies of soil-water dynamics using toposequences are essential to improve the understanding of soil-water-vegetation relationships. This study assessed the hydro-physical and morphological characteristics of soils of Atlantic Rainforest in the Parque Estadual de Carlos Botelho, state of São Paulo, Brazil. The study area of 10.24 ha (320 x 320 m) was covered by dense tropical rainforest (Atlantic Rainforest). Based on soil maps and topographic maps of the area, a representative transect of the soil in this plot was chosen and […]

The intensive use of Cerrado soils for agricultural production coupled with an inadequate management has resulted in soil degradation. This created the need for the introduction of more sustainable systems such as no-tillage and crop-livestock integration. This study analyzed the effect of succession of corn+forage and soybean on soil physical properties. For this purpose, four forages (Brachiaria brizantha, B. ruziziensis, Panicum maximum cv. Tanzânia, and P. maximum cv. Áries), were sown in an intercropping trial with maize in three modalities […]

In the Cerrado region, agricultural activities have caused negative impacts mainly on the soil and water quality. Both in crop and livestock systems, with different managements, the soil physical degradation has led to reduced productivity. The objective of this study was to investigate water infiltration into a Dystrophic Red Latosol of the Cerrado region under different managements. The treatments consisted of the management systems: a) soil under native vegetation, b) soil with soybean for one year followed by three years […]

Gypsum application may enhance the soil quality for plants in terms of soil chemical and physical properties. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of gypsum application on the structural quality of a no-tillage Red Latosol. The experiment was initiated in September 2005 in Guarapuava-PR, with gypsum applications of 0; 4; 8; and 12 Mg ha-1 on the soil surface. In November 2009, two soil blocks were sampled from the 0-0.3 m layer for visual evaluation of the soil structure […]

The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and physics properties of soil under different land use systems in central Amazonia. The DOC concentrations of primary forest soil were measured in three topographical positions, and in areas of pasture, secondary forest and an agroforestry system (AFs) down to a depth of 2 m. The soil solution was collected and analyzed for the organic C phase during a hydrological cycle. The average dissolved organic […]

Leptosols and Regosols are soils with a series of restrictions for use, mainly related to the effective depth, which have been poorly studied in Brazil. These soils, when derived from sedimentary rocks should be treated with particular care to avoid environmental damage such as aquifer contamination. The purpose of this study was to verify the behavior of hydraulic conductivity and water retention capacity in profiles of Leptosols and Regosols derived from sandstone of the Caturrita formation in Rio Grande do […]

One of the ways to evaluate the soil structural status is by means of the pre-compaction pressure and soil penetration resistance. In view of the importance of associations between two variables in soil science, the objective of this study was the decomposition of the direct and indirect effects (“path coefficient analysis”) of soil physical properties and organic matter on pre-compaction pressure (sp) and laboratory-determined soil penetration resistance (LPS) of a cohesive Yellow Ultisol under sugarcane in the coastal tablelands of […]

An accurate estimation of hydraulic fluxes in the vadose zone is essential for the prediction of water, nutrient and contaminant transport in natural systems. The objective of this study was to simulate the effect of variation of boundary conditions on the estimation of hydraulic properties (i.e. water content, effective unsaturated hydraulic conductivity and hydraulic flux) in a one-dimensional unsaturated flow model domain. Unsaturated one-dimensional vertical water flow was simulated in a pure phase clay loam profile and in clay loam […]

The soil-water retention curve (SWRC) is essential to understand the physical-hydric soil behavior. However, data for the construction of the SWRC are obtained in slow and expensive processes. This study hypothesized the possibility that SWRC could be constructed based on fewer tension data within a shorter time, without affecting the accuracy. The objective was to determine the tension data required for the construction of an accurate SWRC in less time. Undisturbed soil samples were collected from a Eutrophic Red Oxisol […]