This study aimed at evaluating changes in the physical properties of an alic sandy-clay loam Yellow Latosol (Haplortox), located at Cruz das Almas, Bahia, Brazil, cropped for 15 years with banana, 38 years with citrus, 15 years with mango, and 14 years with cassava, compared with soil covered by native forest. In 1991, soil samples were collected for the A, AB, Bw1 and Bw2 horizons and soil bulk density, soil density, macroporosity, microporosity were determined, as well as the distribution of aggregates by size and microbiological activity. Soil bulk density increased and macroporosity decreased in mango and citrus areas, mainly in the upper horizon. Microporosity was lower for the soil under mango, in the upper horizon. The percentage of stable aggregates in water larger than 0.50 mm decreased in the soils under banana and mango. The soil microbiological activity was higher in the area covered by native forest.
soil bulk density; soil macroporosity; soil microporosity; aggregation; cultivated soil; natural soil