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CHEMICAL ACND PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES IN DIFFERENT AREAS UNDER FORESTS COVER AND PASTURE IN ALÉM PARAÍBA, MINAS GERAIS STATE, BRAZIL

ABSTRACT

The objective of this study was to evaluate soil quality in homogeneous forests (Acacia mangium - acacia, Mimosa Artemesiana - mimosa and Eucalyptus grandis x Eucalyptus urophylla - eucalipto) compared with Brachiaria sp. - pasture and secondary forest. The study was conducted at Cachoeirão farm in Além Paraíba, MG state. Sampling was carried out in soil layers of 0.00 - 0.05 and 0.05 - 0.10m. Soil samples were characterized through chemical attributes and soil total organic carbon (TOC) and physical analysis: bulk density (BD), particle density (PD), total porosity (TP) and aggregate stability. The saturation values per base were low in all areas. Among the forest stands, mimosa and eucalipto were the ones that provided the highest TOC soil addition. There was no significant difference for the variables BD, PD and TP in any analysed layers. The chemical attribute that allowed better differentiation between the areas was the one of organic carbon content (TOC). Mimosa and acacia were the main contributors to the stabilization of soil aggregates in the first 0,05 m layer. This layer showed the best differentiation between areas in relation to aggregate stability. The pasture area is the one which more resembled the secondary forest on the stability of aggregates in the topsoil (0.0-0.10m). For the 0.05-0.10 m depth, there was no statistical difference between areas for any of the physical variables studied.

Keywords:
soil quality; aggregate stability; forest plantation

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