Soil use and management systems aim to create conditions that are favorable to crop growth. The hypothesis is that areas subject to intensive use of agricultural machinery and animal trampling tend to have a soil structure that is altered by aggregate fragmentation, which causes soil compaction and consequently decreases the soil's physical and hydraulic properties. The aim of this study was to assess and compare the physical and hydraulic parameters of a dystrophic yellow latosol in an area of Cerrado in the municipality of Chapadinha, Maranhão, Brazil under different use and management systems. The following five use and management systems were studied with five replicates: native forest (control), slash-and-burn agriculture, grassland, no-till crop production and conventional tillage. Data analysis was performed using a completely randomized experimental design. The soil's density, macroporosity, microporosity, total porosity, hydraulic conductivity, infiltration, water retention curve, penetration resistance and Soil quality assessment index (S index) were assessed for all management systems. The soil use and management systems were found to have a significant effect on the penetration resistance and the water infiltration rate. The native forest and slash-and-burn agriculture areas provided the highest soil water infiltration rates and the lowest soil penetration resistance. A multivariate analysis identified the variables associated with each soil use and management system. The slash-and-burn agriculture area had the highest S index, which means it provided soil of the best physical quality.

Soil compaction in agricultural areas has greatly increased in recent decades due to intensive farming practices, including short-cycle crops and machinery intensification. This study aimed to evaluate the impacts of management systems on the physical quality of a dystrophic Yellow Oxisol, in the Cerrado region of Brazil. Treatments consisted of five soil management systems, with five replications (native forest [control], slash-andburn agriculture, pasture, no-tillage, and conventional tillage). Data analysis was performed using a completely randomized experimental design. All systems were analyzed for soil density, macroporosity, microporosity, total porosity, hydraulic conductivity, infiltration, water retention curve, penetration resistance, and soil quality index (S index). The systems had significant effects on soil structure, and the evaluated properties responded well to changes promoted by them. No-tillage implementation raised soil resistance in the area previously damaged by intensive farming. Moreover, soils under pasture and slash-and-burn systems presented higher water retention in field capacity and higher S indexes, thus having a better structural quality.

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This study was conducted to evaluate the physical properties modifications of an Oxisol under different conditions of use and management. The research was conducted at Fazenda Sítio Novo and in native forest area, respectively in the municipalities of São Benedito do Rio Preto/MA and Chapadinha/MA. The research followed a completely randomized design with 3 treatments and 4 replications, with the following uses and management: no-tillage (PD); conventional planting (CP) and native forest (MN). The following physical properties were analyzed: bulk density, porosity and soil moisture and penetration resistance at depths of 0.0-0.20 m and 0.20-0.40 m. The water properties analyzed were: basic infiltration velocity, total soil water capacity and vertical hydraulic conductivity. The soil presented higher density and low conservation of moisture in PD and PC. Native forest presented higher total porosity and higher conservation of soil moisture. Total soil water capacity was higher in MN (39.89 mm) followed by PC (25.33 mm) and PD (18.84 mm). The uses and management employed in the soils analyzed on the farm reflect the degradation of the physical properties of the soil in relation to native forest.