Agriculture based on practices aimed at preserving biodiversity and ecological practices in food production has become increasingly important and viable as an alternative to replacing conventional systems. Agroecological systems are more effective in terms of food and nutritional security demands, strengthening changes in traditional systems in the agricultural sector. Physical attributes can be directly influenced through handling and use, and should be studied. With this, the objective of this work was to evaluate the quality of the soil, through the físicos dosoil attributes in an area managed with an agroforestry system. A completely randomized experimental design was used, with 4 treatments and 4 replications, namely: T1 – area managed with an agroforestry system since 2014; T2 - area managed with an agroforestry system since 2018; T3 - native forest area on the banks of the Paraná River and T4 - fallow pasture area since 2017. The current condition of the native forest system was considered as a reference in terms of soil quality, as it represents the natural condition of land use. The following soil attributes were evaluated: aggregate stability, soil porosity and density, soil texture, degree of flocculation and clay dispersed in water. The results were analyzed using analysis of variance, simple correlation and Tukey's test at 5% probability to compare means. It is concluded that the agroforestry systems positively influenced the physical attributes of the soil, mainly in the pore size distribution, aggregation and soil flocculation.

Integrated Crop–Livestock–Forestry Systems (ICLFS) offer stakeholders sustainable options to produce goods and services. Those additionally manifest as enablers of environmental conservation of soil functioning. We, therefore, analyzed the quality of Ultisol for physical and chemical properties under restorative or regenerative models of long-term (nine years) ICLFS. The arrangements comprised integrated Crop–Livestock; integrated Crop-Livestock-Forestry, integrated Crop–Livestock–Forestry with a single or triplicate rows of Eucalyptus; and Eucalyptus plantation, natural vegetation, and bare soil with resurgence of grasses (reference). We collected samples of soil at 0.05, 0.05–0.1, and 0.1–0.2 m depths throughout the areas to quantify standard properties, including water infiltration, hydraulic conductivity, degree of flocculation, mechanical resistance to penetration, stability of aggregates, physical fractioning of organic matter, and fertility. We applied principal component analysis to analytical data to calculate accurate discriminant variables to distinguish systems by structural quality. We obtained evidence for the crop–livestock framework improving physical and chemical properties; hence, this intervention outperformed others in developing environmental restoration. Additionally, as the reference consisted of comparable properties to those in integrative systems and native vegetation, it supported the ability of the soil to gradually recover itself over time. Therefore, our study provides knowledge to advance the field’s prominence in implementing ICLFS for the environmental reclamation of the condition or process degrading the soil and its functions for sustainable agricultural production.

A qualidade da melancia é determinada pelo total de açúcares, coloração, aparência, dentre outras. Estas, assim como a produtividade, podem ser afetadas pela relação entre fonte e dreno, sendo necessário estudar novas técnicas de manejo para adequação dentro da cadeia produtiva, destacando-se a poda das hastes. O método de condução tutorado em mini melancia ainda é incipiente, entretanto, realiza-se adaptações do cultivo do melão. Portanto, o objetivo desta pesquisa foi avaliar a poda e condução das plantas de mini melancia para produção de frutos. Foi estudado a mini melancia cultivar Sugar Baby, e o experimento foi em parcela subdividida com tipo de condução (sistema rasteiro e na vertical tutorado) nas parcelas, e a poda nas subparcelas (1 ou 2 hastes), com delineamento experimental em blocos ao acaso com 10 repetições. Conclui-se que o sistema tutorado, rasteiro, com uma ou duas hastes, conferem frutos de qualidade da mini melancia ‘Sugar Baby’. Em futuros trabalhos sugere-se estudar em outras cultivares, pois diferentes genéticas respondem diferentemente, bem como também realizar a poda em nós diferente do presente estudo.