The objective of this work was to analyze the effect of integrated crop-livestock systems on soil hydraulic properties, and test the potential use of these properties as physical quality indicators of a Cerrado Oxisol. The field study was conducted at Embrapa Cerrados, Planaltina, DF, Brazil, considering soil layers of: 0-5, 10-15, 20-25 and 40-45 cm. Crop-livestock systems caused significant changes in soil bulk density, volumetric soil-water content, soil penetration resistance, total porosity, macroporosity, effective microporosity, unsaturated pores and available water. An increase was observed in both soil resistance and bulk density for all systems in comparison to the cerrado. However, higher soil resistance did not appear as a limiting factor for annual crops growth in a rotation sequence. Total porosity and macroporosity were higher in the cerrado, and in the systems with no-tillage in relation to conventional tillage. Soil penetration resistance, macroporosity, bulk density and available soil-water properties are reliable indicators of the soil physical quality.
crop-pasture rotation; soil penetration resistance; porosity; water retention; soil quality
