Abstract

CARVALHO, Rodrigo; GOEDERT, Wenceslau J.  and  ARMANDO, Marcio Silveira. Physical features of soil quality under an agroforestry system. Pesq. agropec. bras. [online]. 2004, vol.39, n.11, pp. 1153-1155. ISSN 0100-204X.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0100-204X2004001100015.

Agroforestry systems seem to be a sustainable alternative for agricultural production. The objective of this work was to evaluate the quality of a soil used under an agroforestry system by the quantification of the following soil physical attributes: density, porosity, resistance to penetration and aggregate stability. The soil under agroforestry exhibited a superior quality compared to the same soil cultivated by a conventional system, reflected by smaller soil density, higher porosity, lesser resistance to penetration and higher aggregate stability.

Keywords : soil density; porosity; compaction and aggregation; agroforestry.