SPATIAL VARIABILITY OF SOIL PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES UNDER MECHANICAL HARVESTING OF BUFFEL GRASS IN PERNAMBUCO'S AGRESTE

Abstract

Studies on soil physical quality have evolved significantly over the last few years, mainly in cultivated areas and under pastures. The objective of this study was to evaluate the spatial dependence of soil physical attributes in a dystrophic Regolithic Neosol. The study was conducted at the Roçadinho Farm located in the municipality of Capoeiras, located in the Microregion of Ipojuca Valley, Agreste Mesorregião of the State. The study area is formed by pasture of Búffel grass (Cenchrus ciliares L.) over 6 years old, mechanically harvested. In order to determine the physical attributes of the soil, 3 soil layers (0.00-0.10, 0.10-0.20 and 0.20-0.30 m) were investigated, the hydraulic conductivity of the soil was determined by the method Of Beerkan, in 36 sampling points, in a grid of 6 x 6 m. The obtained data were submitted to the geostatistical analysis, to evaluate the spatial dependence of the soil properties. The normal distribution was verified in all variables studied. The coefficient of variation was classified as low for all variables evaluated, showing a distribution with low heterogeneity in the data. The attributes presented high spatial dependence.