Vegetation cover arrangements in the recovery of degraded areas in the Brazilian semi-arid region: effect on soil chemical and physical properties

Abstract

Soil chemical and physical attributes can be considered one of the main indicators of soil quality and can be useful in monitoring and diagnosing the current condition of a degraded area. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of herbaceous plants native to the semi-arid region in the recovery of degraded areas through changes in soil chemical and physical attributes in areas altered by the implementation of the São Francisco River Integration Project (SFIP). The experiment was carried out in Cabrobó, Brazil, in the North Axis. The herbaceous plants were sown in an intercropping, totaling 16 treatments (15 densities and the control) distributed in four blocks. Three soil samples were taken and soil chemical and physical attributes were determined. Two statistical analyses were performed, the first one in a randomized block design (RBD) with 16 treatments (densities) and four replications, and the second one, analyzing the sampling times (control, second and third samplings) in the four intercropping blocks. Changes in soil attributes due to area recovery practices were found in the surface layer. Although there was no statistical difference between the cover plants used, there was a temporal change in some chemical attributes, such as SOM, K+, Mg2+, and P, which showed an increase between the control and the second sampling, in addition to a reduction between the second and third samplings. Thus, the recovery of the soils of areas altered by the SFIP should be carried out continuously until the stabilization of the ecological system.