Physical Quality of a Typic Hapludult Soil Under Forest Leguminous Trees and Pasture

Abstract

Revegetation with leguminous trees has been used to recover degraded areas. This study aimed to evaluate the physical quality of a Typic Hapludult soil under secondary forest, pasture and three leguminous tree species: Acacia (Acacia auriculiformis), Sabia (Mimosa caesalpiniaefolia) and Inga (Inga spp.), in Conceição de Macabú County, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. Soil samples from the 0-0.10 m and 0.10-0.20 m layers were collected and analyzed in July, 2015. Lower bulk density and higher total porosity and macroporosity values occurred under forest. The higher microporosities were associated with higher bulk densities and lower values of total porosity and macroporosity (pasture and Acacia). The soil under pasture, even when compacted, preserved the largest amount of mesopores, perhaps due to the fasciculate root system of these plants. It was concluded that revegetation leads to changes in the soil surface layer so that its physical attributes become similar to those found in the forest and differ from those of pasture, with an increase in quality to support forest ecosystem functioning.

Ecological indices of phytophagous Hemiptera and their natural enemies on Acacia auriculiformis (Fabales: Fabaceae) plants with or without dehydrated sewage sludge application in a degraded area

“…Tropical soils (eg., Brazil), in general, are highly weathered, have poor chemical quality and fragile macrostructure [1]. Moreover, the tropical climate, with high temperatures and humidity, accelerates the degradation of soil organic matter [2].…”

Physical quality of soil under secondary forest, leguminous trees, and degraded pasture

“…The experimental area was located in the municipality of Conceição de Macabú, in the northern Rio de Janeiro state (21 o 37'S and 42 o 05'W), Brazil. According to the Köppen-Geiger's classification, the regional climate corresponds to the hot and humid Am type, with 26°C mean annual temperature and 1,400 mm mean annual rainfall (Gama-Rodrigues et al, 2008;Gomes et al, 2018). The relief is characterized by steep slopes, and the studied area has about 35% steepness.…”

“…The northern Rio de Janeiro state in Brazil is highly affected by unsustainable agricultural practices. The original Atlantic coast forest cover has been reduced by 5% and replaced by agricultural crops, mainly by poorly managed pastures, low-technology intensive cultivation of sugarcane (Gama-Rodrigues et al, 2008;Gomes et al, 2018). Thus, many of the potentially productive land areas are degraded or under degradation risk.…”

“…An alternative to reclaim the soil physical properties affected by unsustainable management is to use leguminous trees. These tree species are nitrogen fixers that have the capacity to increase the organic matter content and the availability of nutrients, and to improve the soil physical properties (Manhães et al, 2013;Resende et al, 2013;Gomes et al, 2018). Grasses can also play a very important role in the continuous addition of soil organic matter when correctly managed.…”

Physical Attributes of Soil in Different Forest Cover in South of Tocantins

“…Physical soil quality is conceptualized as the ability to perform sustainable functions in relation to organic production, environmental quality and to provide healthy conditions for plants, animals and man [6]. Among the main physical indicators used in the evaluation of soil quality, the density and total porosity of the soil have often been used.…”