Soil quality in areas of inceptisol with different grassland management

Abstract

Currently, we seek to agronomy, forestry and pastoral activities to achieve the greatest return on investment with social equity, without degrading the environment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the physical and chemical quality of a Inceptisol after 30 years under two grazing managements. The study was conducted in a watershed located in the Upper Rio Grande (MG) in two types of extensive grazing managements common in the region: native pasture without burning native pasture and annual managed with annual burning, and a legal reserve area used as a reference. These areas were analyzed: CTCpH7,0, organic matter, soil density and porosity. According to the results obtained it was concluded that the values of bulk density, organic matter, cation exchange capacity and macro porosity did not differ in the analyzed soil layer (0-20 cm) in two management studies. The polygons formed in the radial graph, comparing the reference area with the two management studies, are of different magnitude and the shape formed by the reference values, indicating that the annual burning without management should be improved in relation to the density of the soil, whereas the management with annual fires should be improved in relation to the density, organic matter, cation exchange capacity and soil macroporosity.