Characterization of Yellow Latosols (Oxisols) of Serra Do Quilombo, in Piauí State Savanna Woodlands - Brazil

Abstract

-The savanna woodlands of Piauí state has great economic importance since it is an area for agricultural expansion, being the fourth most important of Brazil and the first from Brazilian Northeastern. The area accounts for 5.9% of the Brazilian savanna woodlands and 36.9% of the Northeastern savanna, covering 46% of the Piauí state area, in a total of 11.5 million hectares. The goal of this research was to study pedoenvironments of Serra do Quilombo region, which is in Piauí state savanna, as well as identifying existing soil classes, according to the Brazilian System of Soil Classification -SiBCS. Soil identification consisted in characterizing soil profiles along a transect, assessing in-field conditions and collecting soil samples, in areas of native vegetation. The samples were gathered from three distinct points, being two at the edges and one at the center of the plateau. Soil analyses were carried out with samples collected from each horizon through trench digging up to a 2-m depth. Morphological, physical, chemical and mineralogical characterizations were performed for each soil profile, along with an evaluation of the effect of pedogenic factors on their formation and development. All soils under study were formed with source materials of the same geological formation; however, each rock has a distinct contribution to the process, involving sandstones and shales. The characteristics observed in the soil from Serra do Quilombo have no difference from the pattern found in the Brazilian plateaus, and soil profiles were classified as dystrophic clayey Yellow Latosols (Oxisols), according to the SiBCS.Key words: Soil classification. Latosolization. Pedogenesis. CARACTERIZAÇÃO DE LATOSSOLOS AMARELOS DA SERRA DO QUILOMBO NO CERRADO PIAUIENSERESUMO -O Cerrado piauiense tem grande importância econômica por ser uma área de expansão agrícola, sendo o quarto mais importante do Brasil e o primeiro do Nordeste. Representa 5,9 % do cerrado brasileiro, 36,9 % do nordestino e 46 % da área total do Estado do Piauí, ao todo são 11,5 milhões de hectares. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi estudar os pedoambientes da Serra do Quilombo, localizada no cerrado piauiense, e identificar as classes de solos existentes de acordo com o Sistema Brasileiro de Classificação de Solos. A identificação dos solos consistiu na caracterização de perfis de solo ao longo de um transecto, com a avaliação e coleta de solos em áreas de vegetação nativa, em três pontos, sendo nas extremidades e no centro da chapada. A análise dos solos e a coleta de amostras de cada horizonte dos três perfis de solo foram realizadas mediante abertura de trincheiras, com 2 m de profundidade. Foi feita a caracterização morfológica, física, química e mineralógica de cada perfil dos solos, juntamente com avaliação da influência dos fatores pedogenéticos na sua formação e evolução. Os solos estudados são formados de materiais de origem da mesma formação geológica, no entanto, com diferentes contribuições das diversas rochas, envolvendo arenitos e folhelhos. As car...

Agricultural potential and soil use based on the pedogenetic properties of soils from the cerrado-caatinga transition

“…There has been an exponential growth of agricultural and pasture activities in the Gurguéia river basin recently (Companhia Nacional de Abastecimento [CONAB], 2016), which has occurred without the necessary prior knowledge of the pedogenetic characteristics of these soils. Jacomine (1986) undertook an exploratory survey of the soils of the southern region of Piauí and Pragana, Souza, Moura and Soares (2016) classified the highlands of this region. To fill this knowledge gap, the objective of the present study was to characterize the morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical attributes of soils representative of the cerrado-caatinga transition occurring in the Gurguéia river basin to better understand their genesis.…”