Mudanças na estrutura do solo avaliada com uso de tomografia computadorizada

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate in millimetric scale changes in soil bulk density and porosity, using the gamma-ray computed tomography in soil samples with disturbed structure due to wetting and drying (W-D) cycles. Soil samples with 98.1 cm3 were sieved using a 2 mm mesh and homogenously packed in PVC cylinders. Soil samples were submitted to 1, 2, and 3 W-D cycles. Control samples were not submitted to W-D cycles. After repetitions of W-D cycles, soil sample porosity decreased and soil layers became denser. Computed tomography allowed a continuous analysis of soil bulk density and also soil porosity along millimetric (0.08 cm) layers, what cannot be provided by traditional methods used in soil physics.