Abstract
ABSTRACT The characterization of the plant root system is of great importance for the understanding of its contribution to soil shear resistance, constituting an important tool for decision making in soil bioengineering works. The objective of this work was to evaluate the growth and distribution characteristics of the root system of Paspalum millegrana Schrad. grass in Entisol using Digital Imaging Processing (DIP). The data were obtained by opening a soil pit to expose the root system of Paspalum grass up to 1.70 m depth. The profile wall and volumetric ring methods were used to collect quantitative information of the root system. The SAFIRA software and the ArcMAP software belonging to the ArcGIS suite were used for image processing. The profile wall method showed that Paspalum grass has a large volume of roots in the first 0.40 m to 1.30 m soil depth. It was observed that the root length and volume of Paspalum grass reach depths beyond 1.70 m, which is important to increase soil resistance to erosion processes. The profile wall method when compared to the volumetric ring method proved to be more efficient to understand the behavior of the Paspalum grass root system since it enables an assessment of its spatial distribution with better detailing.
Highlights
Erosion is responsible for the detachment and drag of soil particles, by the actions of water and wind, occurring more rapidly due to anthropic actions (BISPO et al, 2017; ISMAEL et al, 2013; STONE et al, 2015)
To collect data of Paspalum grass roots, a pit (1 m wide, 5 m long and 2 m deep) was initially opened in soil classified as Entisol, in an experimental area of the Universidade Federal de Sergipe (UFS), where individuals of Paspalum and Vetiver grass have been cultivated for 2.5 years
Based on the results of the volume of roots using the methods of profile wall and volumetric ring, different values of volume were observed when analyzed through the digital image processing and at different soil depths
Summary
Erosion is responsible for the detachment and drag of soil particles, by the actions of water and wind, occurring more rapidly due to anthropic actions (BISPO et al, 2017; ISMAEL et al, 2013; STONE et al, 2015). Studies conducted by Holanda, Rocha and Oliveira (2008), Araujo Filho et al (2013) and Machado et al (2015) show that there are several techniques to control erosion on river banks or slopes, such as the use of rockfills or gabion, which can have good results, but are quite expensive. Biotechnologies are demanded, such as soil bioengineering using living materials, such as seedlings, cuttings of native species that contribute to the improvement of soil resistance, in addition to floristic recovery. Vetiver grass is an exotic species in Brazil and, according to CONAMA Resolution no. 429, of 2011, is not recommended for recovery of PPAs (Permanent Preservation Areas) such as river banks. Peres, Ralisch and Ripol (2009) highlight that, besides not being recommended by law, exotic species promote losses due to competition with native species, still remaining in the eroded sites, making it difficult to maintain the environmental balance of the PPAs
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