Spatial variability of aggregate stability and carbon stock in Cambisol and Argisol

Abstract

The advancement of agricultural activities without considering the soil structural conditions ceases at the expense of those environments. This study aimed at evaluating the spatial variability of aggregate stability, bulk density, total organic carbon (TOC) and carbon stock in areas of natural grassland and forest, in the region of Humaitá, Amazonas State, Brazil. The soils were sampled at the crossing points of a grid with 70 m x 70 m, at regular intervals of 10 m, at the depths of 0.0-0.05 m, 0.05-0.10 m and 0.10-0.20 m, totaling 64 samples per depth. The results of the geostatistical analysis showed spatial dependence of attributes. The smaller ranges resulted from the constant variations in the relief of the natural grassland area. The mean values for mean weight diameter (MWD) and TOC were respectively around 3.0 mm and 29.0 g kg^-1 of the surface layer, similarly to natural grassland and forest areas, confirming the proportional correlation between TOC and MWD. However, the bulk density greater than 1.40 kg dm^-3 expresses the inefficiency of soil structural functions in the natural grassland area. The carbon stock contents at the different depths were more favored by TOC than by the different densification levels of the soils evaluated.