PHYSICAL SOIL ATTRIBUTES IN DIFFERENT EUCALYPTUS CROP MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS IN WESTERN MATO GROSSO, BRAZIL

Elyson Thiago De Souza Florentim,Fulvianny Cristina Da Silva,Milson Evaldo Serafim,Helen Caroline Rodrigues Correa,Paloma Emanuela Braga Martins,Walmes Marques Zeviani

doi:10.5380/rf.v50i4.57466

Elyson Thiago De Souza Florentim, Fulvianny Cristina Da Silva + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.5380/rf.v50i4.57466

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Abstract

Physical soil attributes in different eucalyptus crop management systems in western Mato Grosso, Brazil. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of four soil management systems on the physical attributes of an Oxisol for Eucalyptus crops in western Mato Grosso, Brazil. The management systems are differentiated by the soil preparation form during the implantation and initial forest establishment phases, namely a conventional system (plowing, harrowing and subsoiling for preparation and harrows for weed control after planting ) and a conservationist system (pasture desiccation, subsoiling, herbicide weed control and cover crop), with added differences in the eucalyptus fertilizer supply manner (haul and furrow). Nine soil layers were sampled continuously for each management system in between the sowing lines using 100 cm³ volumetric rings (0.05 m in diameter and height), totaling a studied layer of 0.45 m. The following variables were evaluated: total pore volume, microporosity, macroporosity, density and soil resistance to penetration. The different managements did not lead to significant differences for the studied attributes two years after forest establishment, with only a small depth effect observed. The attribute values are within the appropriate limits for eucalyptus crop development, indicating good soil quality under the eucalyptus forest for the study conditions.Keywords: Cover crop, Eucalyptus, soil management, soil penetration resistance.

Highlights

The Brazilian forestry sector is based on the Eucalyptus genus, which occupies 5.7 million hectares of the total 7.83 million forest hectares present in the country (INDÚSTRIA BRASILEIRA DE ÁRVORES – IBÁ, 2019)
The adoption of conservationist soil management systems compared to conventional systems aims to minimize soil disturbances and maintain greater surface protection through cover crops comprising cultural residues, which favor a continuous supply of organic carbon, paramount in maintaining adequate quality soil structure (STEFANOSKI et al, 2013)
Soils under conventional management systems are prone to greater compaction, due to soil structure degradation and decreased microbial activity, leading to increased soil density and decreased total porosity (BERTOL et al, 2019)

Summary

Introduction

The Brazilian forestry sector is based on the Eucalyptus genus, which occupies 5.7 million hectares of the total 7.83 million forest hectares present in the country (INDÚSTRIA BRASILEIRA DE ÁRVORES – IBÁ, 2019). The expansion of Eucalyptus forests in Brazil is due to the wide adaptability of this species to the most diverse edaphoclimatic conditions (FERREIRA et al, 2017). In the state of Mato Grosso, eucalyptus crops are still incipient, and little information is available concerning eucalyptus-responsive management practices, unlike in other Brazilian regions, which already apply genotype-specific. Eucalyptus genotypes strongly interact with their environment, and chemical, physical and biological factors are prominent (SANTOS et al, 2015)

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