Physical attributes of soil in integrated crop-livestock-forest systems

Abstract

This study aimed to determine changes in soil physical attributes as result of implementation of integrated crop-livestock-forest (iCLF) systems and to identify atributes suitable for the detection of changes in soil physical quality (SFQ). Soil samples were collected in 0-0.10 and 0.10-0.20 m layers in Nova Canãa do Norte, MT, and Cachoeira Dourada, GO, in areas under iCLF with 1 (iCLF1) or 3 (iLCF3) lines of eucalyptus in areas of recovered and degraded pastures. In iCLF1, the samples were collected from the tree line and at 2.5, 5.0 and 10.0 m of this line. In iCLF3, in Nova Canãa do Norte, the samples were collected from the middle line and at 3.0; 6.0; 9.0 and 12.0 m of this line, and in Cachoeira Dourada, from the middle line and at 1.5; 3.0; 4.5; 6.0 and 9.0 m of this line, with five replications. iCLF systems promoted improvement in SFQ regarding degraded pasture. In Nova Canãa do Norte, iCLF1 provided better recovery in SFQ, relative to degraded pasture, than iCLF3. The SFQ in iCLF systems varied with the sampling position relative to the line of trees. Bulk density and pore arrangement in the 0.10-0.20 m soil layer were mainly responsible for discriminating integrated systems from degraded pasture.