ABSTRACT
Soils in irrigated perimeters under semiarid climate are inclined to accumulate of salts and in Brazil, this problem has been impressive in the semiarid Northeast, however, few data exist on the actual situation of this degradation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the salinity and sodicity in the Irrigated Perimeter of Custodia in different seasons and determine soil groups by variables associated with salinity and sodicity. Soil samples were taken in 55 plots at 0-10, 10-30 and 30-60 cm depth in four seasons, two at end of the rainy season and two at the end of the dry period. The results of pH, electrical conductivity of the saturation extract (CE), sodium adsorption ratio (RAS) and exchangeable sodium percentage (PST) were subjected to multivariate statistics, through clustering technique. Eight groups of soils that differed between sampling times and the variables studied, predominantly in the alkaline pH range, low CE values were obtained, while the RAS and PST alternated between sampling times, with values that characterize sodicity. Soils of the Custódia Irrigated Perimeter (PE) are alkaline, of low salinity and medium to high sodicity, susceptible to dispersion of colloids and degradation of its physical quality.
Key words:
multivariate statistics; degradation; soil quality