Soil tillage systems and the crop residue management are essential for the sustainability of cassava production in sandy and sandy loam soils of Northwestern Paraná State, Southern Brazil. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different tillage systems used for planting cassava: no-tillage (NT), minimum tillage using chiseling (MT) and conventional tillage with moldboard plow and disking (CT) on some physical properties of a dystrophic Red Latosol. The following soil physical properties were evaluated in the […]

The physical characterization of two typical Coastal Tableland soils (Yellow Latosol-YL and Gray Argisol-GL) of the State of Bahia, Brazil, was carried out in 2001 and the citrus root system in such soils was evaluated in order to determine attributes that best identify the cohesive layer. The first four horizons in each soil were sampled for analysis of particle size distribution, soil bulk density, total porosity, macroporosity, microporosity, and saturated hydraulic conductivity. Soil resistance to penetration and critical humidity of […]

Soil physical quality in continuous and short-duration rotational cattle grazing systems was evaluated using the Least Limiting Water Range (LLWR) approach. Soil samples were collected on an experimental site at the Embrapa – Beef Cattle Research Center (Campo Grande, MS, Brazil). The studied soil was a Typic Acrudox. Four sampling sites were selected: two under a short-duration continuous grazing system and two under intensive short-duration rotational grazing system. Thirty soil cores were collected in each site under the continuous grazing […]

The understanding and quantification of the impact caused by soil use and management on the physical soil quality are fundamental for the development of sustainable agricultural systems. The objective of this research was to quantify some physical soil properties to evaluate the physical quality of a dystrophic Red Latosol (Rhodic Ferralsol) in the northwest of the State of Paraná, Brazil. Undisturbed soil samples were collected from two contiguous areas on an Experimental Farm of the State University of Maringá. One […]

The term “cohesive” has been used in Brazil to distinguish sub-surface soil horizons that have hard, very hard or extremely hard consistency when the soil is dry, and friable when the soil is wet. Australian soils with similar behavior were identified as hardsetting. Researchers have indicated that many soils in Africa and other semi-arid regions can also be characterized as hardsetting. Based on the definition and characteristics of the hardsetting soils, it is believed that “cohesive” soils of the Low […]