RESUMOO monitoramento periódico do estado de compactação do solo por meio da resistência à penetração é uma forma prática de avaliação dos efeitos dos diferentes sistemas de manejo na estrutura do solo e do crescimento radicular das culturas. Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a variação dos valores de resistência do solo à penetração em resposta ao número de repetições (população amostral) a partir de diferentes formas de amostragem em campo, em um Latossolo Vermelho eutroférrico, sob três tipos de manejo: plantio direto (PD), cultura perene (

SUMMARYA by-product of Wastewater Treatment Stations is sewage sludge. By treatment and processing, the sludge is made suitable for rational and environmentally safe use in agriculture. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of different doses of limed sewage sludge (50 %) on clay dispersion in soil samples with different textures (clayey and medium). The study was conducted with soil samples collected from native forest, on a Red Latosol (Brazilian classification: Latossolo Vermelho distroférrico) loamy soil in Londrina (PR) and a Red-Yellow Latosol (BC: Latossolo Vermelho-Amarelo distrófico) medium texture soil in Jaguapitã (PR). Pots were filled with 3 kg of air-dried fine earth and kept in greenhouse. The experiment was arranged in a randomized block design with six treatments: T1 control, and treatments with limed sewage sludge (50 %) as follows: T2 (3 t ha -1 ), T3 (6 t ha -1 ), T4 (12 t ha -1 ), T5 (24 t ha -1 ) and T6 (48 t ha -1 ) and five replications. The incubation time was 180 days. At the end of this period, the pots were opened and two sub-samples per treatment collected to determine pH-H 2 O, pH KCl (1 mol L -1 ), organic matter content, water-dispersible clay, Δ Δ Δ Δ ΔpH (pH KClpH-H 2 O) and estimated PZC (point of zero charge): PZC = 2 pH KCl -pH-H 2 O, as well as the mineralogy of the clay fraction, determined by X ray diffraction. The results showed no significant difference in the average values for water-dispersible clay between the control and the other treatments for the two soil samples studied and Δ Δ Δ Δ ΔpH was the variable that correlated best with water-dispersible clay in both soils.Index terms: biosolids, flocculation, PZC, Δ Δ Δ Δ ΔpH, organic matter.(1) Received for publication in December 2010 and approved in July 2010.

Obtaining information about soil properties under different agricultural uses to plan soil management is very important with a view to sustainability in the different agricultural systems. The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in certain indicators of the physical quality of a dystrophic Red Latosol (Oxisol) under different agricultural uses. The study was conducted in an agricultural area located in northern Paraná State. Dystrophic Red Latosol samples were taken from four sites featuring different types of land use typical of the region: pasture of Brachiaria decumbens (P); sugarcane (CN); annual crops under no-tillage (CAPD); and native forest (permanent conservation area) (control (C)). For each land use, 20 completely randomized, disturbed and undisturbed soil samples were collected from the 0-20 cm soil layer, to determine soil texture, volume of water-dispersible clay, soil flocculation (FD), particle density, quantity of organic matter (OM), soil bulk density (Ds), soil macroporosity (Ma) and microporosity (Mi), total soil porosity (TSP), mean geometric diameter of soil aggregates (MGD), and penetration resistance (PR). The results showed differences in OM, FD, MGD, Ds, PR, and Ma between the control (soil under forest) and the areas used for agriculture (P, CN and CAPD). The soils of the lowest physical quality were those used for CN and CAPD, although only the former presented a Ma level very close to that representing unfavorable conditions for plant growth. For the purposes of this study, the physical properties studied were found to perform well as indicators of soil quality.Index terms: land degradation, land use, grazing, sugarcane, no-tillage farming. RESUMO: ATRIBUTOS FÍSICOS DE LATOSSOLO VERMELHO DISTRÓFICO PSAMÍTICO SOB DIFERENTES USOS AGRÍCOLAS

O cultivo intensivo dos solos das regiões tropicais e subtropicais somente torna se viável dentro do contexto de uma agricultura sustentável através do uso de tecnologias apropriadas que assegurem uma eficiência produtiva, sem degradação do solo. O presente estudo teve por objetivo analisar in situ os efeitos da escarificação na condutividade hidráulica saturada de um Latossolo Vermelho distroférrico sob plantio direto por mais de vinte anos. A condutividade hidráulica saturada do solo escarificado aumentou de forma significativa em 1,45 10-5m s-1, porém um ano após essa escarificação, esse ganho foi reduzido para 0,48 10-5m s-1 e não mais diferiu do solo sob plantio direto contínuo.

RESUMO