ABSTRACT The measurement method (MM) and the land-use (LU) are two soil structure-related attributes that are available in infiltration experiments. This study aims to hypothesize that measurement technique and land-use might be good predictors of the performance of infiltration parameter values and models. The Soil Water Infiltration Global (SWIG), which includes about 5000 experiments worldwide and assembled in the Institute of Agrosphere in Jülich, Germany, was used. Except for the known properties such as texture, measurement method, and land-use, changes […]

ABSTRACT An important aspect in the study and understanding of the physical phenomena involved in water movement in the soil-plant system is the need to carry out the hydrodynamic characterization (HC) of non-saturated field soils. Studies of this type have been widely developed in soils of temperate climates, but they are infrequent in the tropics, hence there is a need for further research in tropical Vertisols under field conditions. Hydrodynamic characterization consists of finding the functional relationship between soil hydraulic […]

ABSTRACT Use of soil in forensic science is related to its several chemical, physical, and biological properties associated with its capacity to adhere to different materials and surfaces. Forensic soil experts and police investigators have been using soil samples as an aid in criminal investigations. Soils can act as fingerprints because they present contrasting physical, chemical, biological, and mineralogical properties. However, depending on the analytical tools utilized to characterize the soil, differentiating the samples when they have similar properties might […]

ABSTRACT Commercial eucalyptus forestry has significantly increased in the last decades to supply the growing demand for forest goods (pulp, paper, sawmill, by-product industries, and biomass for bioenergy and biofuels). Among factors most influencing forest productivity, the soil physical environment is very important and can be harmful or beneficial to trees. In the effort to increase environmental and economic sustainability of commercial plantations, in this literature review, we summarize relationships between soil type and properties, forest rotation, and forest growth […]

ABSTRACT Conventional tillage and intensive machinery traffic are the major causes of physical soil degradation in sugarcane fields. This study evaluates the impact of adopting conservation management practices during sugarcane planting on soil physical properties and stalk yield of sugarcane in the municipality of Ibitinga, state of São Paulo, Brazil. The experimental design (split-block) included four cover crops and three soil tillage systems, with three repetitions. For comparison purposes, a control treatment was also included (without cover crop and under […]

ABSTRACT This review presents the basic research and some applications of the gamma-ray attenuation, neutron gauges, and 137Cs fallout techniques for studying soil physical processes and properties. The selected studies aimed to give the readers a general idea of the use of these nuclear techniques carried out by Brazilian researchers in the past decades. It is expected to assist future researchers by identifying knowledge gaps and opportunities for applying the methods presented here. Around 100 studies were selected for this […]

ABSTRACT Finding the proper shaking setting to ensure total particle dispersion without altering the content of sand, silt and clay in soils composed of fragile particles such as saprolite fragments is still a research gap. This study aimed to identify the best shaking setting to optimize particle dispersion and minimize particle change in samples of Entisol (Neossolos). Samples were dispersed using an electric mixer at 12,000 rpm for 5, 15, 30 and 60 min, a horizontal shaker at 150 cycles […]

ABSTRACT Several management practices can increase soil water storage capacity, but their effectiveness to minimize the adverse effects of drought depends on their potential to increase the soil available water to plants. Terracing is an effective option to increase soil water storage, but its effect on available water to plants in no-tillage system is still a knowledge gap. In this study, we monitored soil water content at eight layers down to 1.6 m in two zero-order paired catchments for 16 […]

ABSTRACT The steady infiltration rate of soil profiles is commonly determined for irrigation and soil conservation planning, but the divergence of methods reduces the reliability of measurements. In this study, the steady infiltration rate measured with a double ring infiltrometer (isr-dri) in different layers of a soil profile was compared between layers and with the steady vertical saturated flow rate estimated by the Richards equation (isr-hy). The measurements of isr-dri at the top of the A, E, and Bt horizons […]

ABSTRACT The relation between water content and water potential is a key soil hydraulic property. The presence of rock fragments in soils can affect this property in bulk soil. In this study, we focused on the relation property determined with a WP4 dew point potentiometer. The objective was to evaluate the hypothesis that breaking large gravel-size particles into smaller fragments is a suitable strategy for accurate WP4 measurements in coarse materials without affecting the retention properties. Ten initial samples of […]