Abstract
ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of minerals in the clay fraction on physical attributes of Yellow Ultisol cultivated with sugarcane and prepared with two different treatments: chiseling across the entire area and chiseling only in planting rows. The samples were collected from four layers of soil at eight months after planting. We assessed the texture of the soil, levels of iron extracted by dithionite-citrate-bicarbonate (DCB) and ammonium acid oxalate (AAO), ratio of kaolinite/(kaolinite + gibbsite), soil bulk density, and soil penetration resistance. The first area showed a higher ratio of kaolinite/(kaolinite + gibbsite) and the second area had greater levels of iron extracted by DCB. Levels of iron extracted by DCB were inversely correlated with soil bulk density and penetration resistance, while the kaolinite/(kaolinite + gibbsite) ratio was directly correlated with soil bulk density and penetration resistance. The area with a greater kaolinite/(kaolinite + gibbsite) ratio had higher values of soil bulk density and soil penetration resistance and the area with higher levels of iron showed lower values of soil bulk density and soil penetration resistance. The mineralogy influenced the soil's physical attributes, while soil preparation treatments did not.
Highlights
Sugarcane cultivation is economically significant in São Paulo, Brazil, owing to its use in the production of ethanol and sugar
We found that the higher altitude (Area I) section was characterized by a greater ratio of kaolinite/(kaolinite+gibbsite) [Kt/(Kt+Gb)] and lower levels of iron extracted by dithionite-citrate-bicarbonate (FeDCB) and by ammonium acid oxalate (FeAAO) compared to the lower altitude (Area II) section (Table 1)
These results suggest a relationship between the minerals of the clay fraction and the variation in of soil penetration resistance (SPR), since the greater coefficient of variation (CV) observed in Area I compared to that in Area II can be attributed to the kaolinitic mineralogy found in this area, consistent with the results above
Summary
Sugarcane cultivation is economically significant in São Paulo, Brazil, owing to its use in the production of ethanol and sugar. Despite its central role in Brazilian agribusiness, sugarcane cultivation has brought about changes in soil bulk density (BD) and soil penetration resistance (SPR) due to compaction. Conventional sugarcane cultivation systems cause soil degradation through disaggregation, leading to soil compaction. To minimize the effects caused by compaction, farmers have adopted less aggressive soil preparation practices in agricultural areas, such as chiseling only along planting rows. This practice improves the soil’s physical qualities (Calonego et al, 2017) by increasing soil porosity and reducing soil bulk density (Nunes et al, 2014). The effects of soil preparation on the physical attributes are influenced by the mineralogy of the clay fraction
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