The objective of this work was to evaluate soil physical characteristic changes in soil of different textures after mechanized harvesting under different tillage systems, in an area of Eucalyptus saligna coppice. The soils were a coarse Yellow Latosol and a Clayey Red Latosol occurring in an area of commercial plantation, in São Paulo State. Soil tillage systems were harrowing to 20-cm depth and subsoiling to a 30-cm depth. The following soil physical characteristics determined were bulk density, total and aeration porosity; and in the plant total height and DBH. There was no tillage effect on plants growing in the coarse soil, and there was a negative correlation between plant DBH and aeration porosity (r²= 0.74). The same correlation was positive (r² = 0,78) in the clayey soil. In the clayey soil, both soil tillage systems increased plant development in height and DBH, which were significantly different from the test plot without tilling the soil.
Soil bulk density; soil aeration porosity; harrowing; subsoiling
