VELOCIDADE DE INFILTRAÇÃO E PROPRIEDADES FÍSICAS DO SOLO EM DIFERENTES SISTEMAS DO USO DA TERRA NO BIOMA CERRADO

Abstract

The cerrado biome is large in size, occupying about a quarter of the Brazilian territory. The cerrado is recognized for its biodiversity, both for its natural aspects and for the intense agropastoral occupation that has transformed it into the main frontier of Brazilian agricultural expansion. Understanding physical soil variables such as soil density, porosity, amount of macro and micropores and infiltration speed can be important for understanding the causes of variation in crop production. The present study started from the hypothesis that the degraded area used as a reference (pasture) tends to have a lower infiltration speed due to inadequate management. Given the above, the objective of the study was to verify whether the speed of basic water infiltration and the physical properties of the soil can be an indicator of soil quality. The experiment was carried out in four systems, namely (Pasture, Grains, Eucalyptus monoculture and ILPF), using the ring infiltrometer methodology in a randomized block design. It was concluded that the area used as a reference did not present restrictions to the infiltration of water in the soil, probably due to the unpacking that occurred in the area. And that the physical-hydric variables of the soils were sensitive to the adopted managements. They can be considered as good indicators of soil quality.