Physical qualities of an Ultisol under sugarcane and Atlantic forest in Brazil

The objective of this work was to evaluate the soil physical quality of three different sugarcane growing areas and native Atlantic forest. The statistical analysis of the physical properties of the soil showed good accuracy, with adequate coefficients of variation and low Gaussian variability, allowing the correct adjustment of an additive model to determine the physical quality of the soil. Using an additive model and the adjustment of soil physical properties (soil density, total porosity, macroporosity, microporosity, mechanical resistance to penetration, aggregate soil stability and organic matter content), it was possible to determine the physical quality of the soil at each of the experimental sites depending on its capacity for root support and water storage. A cluster analysis grouped the sites based on similarities in their physical property responses; the first group included sites with sugarcane undergoing 44 and 40 years of production, the second group included the sugarcane site with 15 years of production, and last group contained native Atlantic Forest. After the native forest, the sugarcane site with the lowest number of production years presented the best quality, in contrast to the sites with longer production times, with greater changes in soil physical properties in terms of root support capacity. Determining the soil physical quality can help in the management, control and improvement of soil health and agricultural sustainability.