Estimation of soil load-bearing capacity from mathematical models that relate preconsolidation pressure (σp) to mechanical resistance to penetration (PR) and gravimetric soil water content (U) is important for defining strategies to prevent compaction of agricultural soils. Our objective was therefore to model the σp and compression index (CI) according to the PR (with an impact penetrometer in the field and a static penetrometer inserted at a constant rate in the laboratory) and U in a Rhodic Eutrudox. The experiment consisted […]

Soil properties become quality indicators as they come to be used to monitor soil changes through time. Under the hypothesis that the soils of the Chapada do Apodi (Apodi Plateau), CE, Brazil, underwent changes in physical quality through use, and that management systems lead to a new state of equilibrium in these properties, the aim of this study was to analyze the degree of these changes to ascertain whether soil use is leading to a process of physical degradation. A […]

A toposequence has soils with distinct structural and morphological properties that may affect soil susceptibility to structural deformation in short spatial distances. The objective of this study was to evaluate soil load-bearing capacity and susceptibility to compaction, and quantify the effects that loads above and below preconsolidation pressure cause on soil permeability to air in a toposequence of the Central Lowlands of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Undisturbed soil samples were collected from horizons of soil profiles of three Alfisols […]

Bulk density (ρb) is an important indicator of soil physical quality, but it is seldom assessed at greater depths due to sampling difficulties. Pedotransfer functions have been relatively successful in estimating ρb, but specific functions for most Brazilian biomes are not available. The aim of this study was to develop mathematical functions to describe ρb to a depth of 1 m in areas of native vegetation in central and southern Minas Gerais, Brazil. For determination of ρb, soil core samples […]

Knowledge of soil physical changes and soil quality is important for creating adequate management strategies to be adopted for soil under crop production. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of cultivation and application of biofertilizer (obtained from cattle manure) on the physical quality of a Cambisol planted to Ficus carica L. with a drip irrigation system and to verify the efficiency of indicators in assessing changes in its physical properties. In order to evaluate physical quality, […]

Natural processes that determine soil and plant litter properties are controlled by multiple factors. However, little attention has been given to distinguishing the effects of environmental factors from the effects of spatial structure of the area on the distribution of soil and litter properties in tropical ecosystems covering heterogeneous topographies. The aim of this study was to assess patterns of soil and litter variation in a tropical area that intercepts different levels of solar radiation throughout the year since its […]

Soil quality indicators such as penetration resistance (PR) and bulk density (BD) are traditionally determined in a single undisturbed soil sample. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of PR measurements of undisturbed samples on the determination of BD in the same sample of two soils differing in clay contents. To this end, samples were collected from the 0.00-0.10 and 0.10-0.20 m layers of two soils of clayey and very clayey texture. Volumetric rings were used to […]

Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moech is an important high production forage crop that is increasingly used in Brazil, though still slow in replacing growing of second crop maize. Growing sorghum during the dry season would be an alternative for silage production and its use in the rainy season. However, plant growth and development will be affected if alterations occur in the texture, porosity, and structure of the soil. The objective of this study was to analyze the spatial variability and linear […]

In the south-central region of Brazil, there is a trend toward reducing the sugarcane inter-harvest period and increasing traffic of heavy harvesting machinery on soil with high water content, which may intensify the compaction process. In this study, we assessed the structural changes of a distroferric Red Latosol (Oxisol) by monitoring soil water content as a function of the Least Limiting Water Range (LLWR) and quantified its effects on the crop yield and industrial quality of the first ratoon crop […]

Monitoring the variables that constitute the soil water balance equation in a farmed field is important for reliably evaluating water deficit periods during the crop cycle, managing irrigation and estimating nutrient losses through leaching. Components of the water balance equation may vary in space and time, and the study of the temporal stability of the spatial variability of these components is essential for determining the observation points in the field (sites) for monitoring soil moisture accurately with reduced effort in […]