Soil properties changes as a function of a no tillage agriculture/livestock system on an ultisol

Abstract

The objective of this work is to study the possible temporal changes in soil under an integration livestock-agriculture system, as a function of the grazing intensity. The experiment will be carried out at the Pólo Regional de Desenvolvimento do Centro Norte em Pindorama, SP, where an experimental area of six hectares was selected and divided in six experimental plots of 1ha each. Each one of the six plots where marked with a sampling grid of 10 x 10m. The project intends to monitor the possible changes in soil physical and soil fertility with time of grazing. The soil fertility properties studied will be pH, organic matter, organic and inorganic N, P, K, Ca, Mg, H+Al, S-SO4-2, B, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn. The samplings for the monitoring of the temporal changes in soil physical and soil fertility properties will take place in four regularly divided times for physical and three times for soil fertility. The soil fertility will then amount to 450 samples for the 0-20cm depth. The soil physical properties to be measured are the saturated infiltration rate and hydraulic conductivity at 10 and 20cm depth, measured with the IAC model field permeameter, the soil penetration resistance with the impact penetrometer. The central tendency and dispersion statistical parameters will be calculated for each sampling in order to help understanding the temporal evolution of soil properties as the grazing progresses. Classed post maps will be also used for analyzing the spatial distribution. Geostatistics will be the basic toll for studying the spatial variability of soil properties. Semivariograms, kriging and maps with interpolated values will be used for the display of the results. The temporal evolution of the infiltration rate, soil resistance and soil fertility will be indicative of the adequateness of the livestock-agriculture system. (AU)