ABSTRACT The native field area in southern Brazil has been reduced due to cultivation, and part of the remainder is traditionally burned and may increase water erosion and soil degradation. In this research, the soil chemical composition and water erosion, under natural rainfall, were evaluated in an Inceptisol, in the south of the Santa Catarina state plateau. The treatments consisted of native field, field mowed and burned once a year, and field cultivated under no-tillage conditions, in plots of 3.5 x 22.1 m and average slope of 10 %. The water erosion was evaluated between November 2016 and September 2018, when there were 61 erosive rainfalls, totaling 1,997 mm and 8,472 MJ mm ha-1 h-1. The soil losses were 82 kg ha-1 in the cultivated field, 55 kg ha-1 in the burned field and 24 kg ha-1 in the native field; and the water losses, in relation to the total rainfall, were 2.2 % in the native field and cultivated field and 1.2 % in the burned field.

RESUMO A área de campo nativo no Sul do Brasil foi reduzida devido ao cultivo, e parte do remanescente é tradicionalmente queimada, podendo aumentar a erosão hídrica e a degradação do solo. Avaliou-se a composição química do solo e a erosão hídrica, sob chuva natural, em um Cambissolo Húmico, no sul do planalto Catarinense. Os tratamentos consistiram de campo nativo, campo roçado e queimado uma vez ao ano e campo cultivado em condição de semeadura direta, em parcelas de 3,5 x 22,1 m e declividade média de 10 %. A erosão hídrica foi avaliada entre novembro de 2016 e setembro de 2018, quando ocorreram 61 chuvas erosivas, totalizando 1.997 mm e 8.472 MJ mm ha-1 h -1. As perdas de solo foram de 82 kg ha-1 no campo cultivado, 55 kg ha-1 no campo queimado e 24 kg ha-1 no campo nativo; e as perdas de água, em relação ao total precipitado, foram de 2,2 % no campo nativo e campo cultivado e de 1,2 % no campo queimado.

Abstract Water infiltration into soil varies significantly with soil type and management practices. Management practices alter soil physical properties, such as porosity and pore size distribution, which play an important role in infiltration. This study was conducted to assess the effect of the long-term use of two different soil tillage systems (conventional, CT, and no-tillage, NT) on soil structure and water infiltration to understanding of the relationship between physical conditions induced by tillage and water infiltration. The experiments were carried out on a Humic Cambisol in southern Brazil from 1995 to 2016. Soil density, porosity, aggregate diameter and soil water infiltration were evaluated under conventional tillage right after one plowing and two subsequent discings (CT0), and six months after these tillage operations (CT6). The results show that different management systems affect differently soil physical properties and, thus, water infiltration. By mechanical mobilization CT brings about modifications in soil structure which promote an increase in total porosity and mesopority, and a decrease in soil microporosity. This in turn results in an increase in the proportion of larger pores in the plow layer and a decrease in soil density, but also in a decrease in aggregate stability. The CT0 measurements showed the highest infiltration rates which were up to 15 times greater than in the NT treatment. The higher infiltration rate in CT0 wears off with time, but in the CT6 measurements six months after tillage it was still 2 times higher than under NT. Tillage, at least initially, increases total porosity and mesoporosity, while at the same time decreasing microporosity. This results in a larger saturated hydraulic conductivity (K). An increase in total porosity alone does not necessarily increase K, if there is an increase in small pores at the cost of decreasing the number of larger pores.

Abstract Improper management degrades the soil, decreases corn productivity and is reflected in the cost of production. The objective of this research was to evaluate the soil recovery in non-conservationist treatments after the change of management and cultivation to the conservation condition direct sowing, and compare these systems to consolidated direct seeding; This evaluation was based on the soil responsiveness to crop production and water erosion control, and based on the financial cost of soil recovery and corn production when soil management was converted from non-conservationist (tillage rotation - RT, minimum tillage - MT, conventional tillage - CT and bare soil - BS) to no-tillage (NT) condition, in a Humic Cambisol. The transition from managements to no-tillage occurred in 2015 year, after 27 years of conducting the preexisting managements. The chemical recovery was carried out with the application of limestone, phosphorus, and potassium. At the end of the research the yield of the corn crop, the cost of recovering the soil fertility and the cost of crop production were evaluated. Previous soil management influenced the cost of soil chemical recovery. The cost of production showed a financial loss for the previous treatments CT and BS, on the average of the three corn crops.

RESUMO A erosão hídrica é o principal fator de degradação e redução da capacidade produtiva do solo, exigindo operações de manejo que minimizem as perdas de água e solo e ao mesmo tempo maximizem a produtividade da cultura. Com a pesquisa objetivou-se quantificar as perdas por erosão hídrica e, na água de enxurrada, determinar os teores e as perdas totais de P e K durante o desenvolvimento de eucalipto (Eucalyptus benthamii). O eucalipto foi plantado em três tipos de preparo do solo: mecanizado em sulcos na direção do declive (PMD); mecanizado em sulcos perpendiculares ao declive (PMC); e cova individual para cada planta (PSC), em um experimento no sul do Brasil sobre um Cambissolo Háplico. Observamos que o preparo mecânico do solo realizado na direção do declive é menos eficaz no controle das perdas de solo do que o mecânico realizado perpendicularmente ao declive e do que o manual em covas, nos quais as perdas de solo equivalem a 10% daquelas que ocorrem na direção do declive. Quanto ao controle das perdas de água, o preparo manual em covas é mais eficaz do que os dois preparos mecanizados. As maiores perdas de solo ocorrem no outono, com perdas 27 vezes maiores em relação às outras estações do ano, e as maiores perdas de água ocorreram no preparo mecanizado perpendicularmente ao declive e no preparo manual. As perdas de água variam menos do que as perdas de solo, independentemente do tipo de preparo de solo e da estação do ano. As perdas de fósforo e potássio pela água de enxurrada variam com os teores no solo, com o tipo de preparo do solo e com o momento de avaliação.

ABSTRACT Water erosion is the main factor of degradation and reduction of the productive capacity of the soil, requiring management operations that minimize water and soil losses and at the same time maximize crop productivity. The research aimed to quantify losses by water erosion and, in the runoff water, determine the levels and total losses of P and K during the development of Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus benthamii). Eucalyptus was planted in three types of soil preparation: minimum preparation in the direction of the slope, minimum preparation in the contour of the slope, and semi-mechanized preparation, in an experiment in southern Brazil on a Haplic Dystrudept soil. We observed that the mechanical preparation of the soil carried out in the direction of the slope is less effective in controlling soil losses than the mechanical carried out perpendicularly to the slope and also less effective than the manual in pits, in which the soil losses are equivalent to 10% of those that occur in the direction of the slope. As for the control of water losses, manual preparation in pits is more effective than the two mechanized preparations. The greatest losses of soil occur in the fall, with losses 27 times greater in relation to the other seasons of the year, and the greatest losses of water occurred in the mechanized preparation perpendicular to the slope and in the manual preparation. Water losses vary less than soil losses, regardless of the type of soil preparation and the season. The losses of phosphorus and potassium by the Runoff water vary with the contents in the soil, with the type of soil preparation and with the moment of evaluation.

Resumo: O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar parâmetros de ajuste para a equação universal de perda de solo revisada (Rusle) de um solo submetido à aplicação de dejeto líquido de suínos. Os tratamentos consistiram de 0, 50, 100 e 200 m3 ha-1 de dejeto líquido de suínos (DLS), após o cultivo de aveia-preta (Avena strigosa), além da aplicação de 50 m3 ha-1 de DLS por seis vezes à superfície do solo, em uma sequência temporal, e de um controle com solo sem cultivo e sem dejeto. As avaliações foram feitas quanto à massa de matéria seca da parte aérea da aveia-preta, à massa de raízes e aos resíduos da cultura semi-incorporados ao solo, às perdas de solo por meio de chuva simulada e aos parâmetros para modelagem de erosão hídrica. A aplicação de dejeto líquido de suínos à superfície do solo causou a diminuição dos valores de consolidação do solo (Cf), o aumento da massa de raízes vivas e mortas e dos resíduos culturais incorporados à camada superficial (0.0-0.1 m) do solo (Bu), e a redução dos valores de uso anterior da terra (PLU) na Rusle.

Abstract: The objective of this work was to determine adjustment parameters for the revised universal soil loss equation (Rusle) of a soil subjected to pig slurry application. Treatments consisted of 0, 50, 100, and 200 m3 ha-1 pig slurry (PS), after the cultivation of black oat (Avena strigosa), besides the application of 50 m3 ha-1 PS for six times onto the soil surface in a temporal sequence, and a control treatment of soil without cultivation and without pig slurry application. The evaluations were performed for black oat shoot dry mass, root mass and crop residues semi-incorporated into the soil (RMR), soil losses by means of simulated rain, and the parameters for water erosion modeling. The pig slurry application onto soil surface caused a reduction in the values of the soil consolidation parameter (Cf), an increase in the mass of living and dead roots and cultural residues incorporated in the upper layer (0.0-0.1 m) of the soil (Bu), and a reduction in the subfactor prior land use (PLU) of the Rusle.

ABSTRACT: The conversion of native grassland into farmland causes changes in the soil. Tillage has profound effects on soil organic matter. The intensification of soil tillage decreases soil quality by reducing aggregate stability. Soil aggregate stability and soil organic matter are key indicators for soil quality and environmental sustainability in agro-ecosystems. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the total organic carbon content and the physical and chemical fractions of the organic matter in a soil under different uses and types of management over 27 years. Four soil tillage treatments with two annual crops were evaluated (no-tillage, NT; rotating tillage, RT; minimum tillage, MT; and conventional tillage, CT), as well as bare soil (BS) (standard plot of the Universal Soil Loss Equation - USLE) and natural grassland (NG) as a reference area. The experiment was carried out in an Inceptisol (Cambissolos) in southern Brazil. We determined total organic carbon (TOC) and particulate organic carbon (POC), and organic carbon associated with soil minerals (OCam). The chemical fractionation of carbon was into fulvic and humic acids, and humin. In addition, soil aggregates were divided into five size classes. The type of soil tillage affected the soil organic carbon content, namely TOC, POC, and OCam, as well as the composition of the physical and chemical fractions and their distribution in the arable soil layer. There was a positive relationship between stable aggregates and organic carbon in the soil: the higher the proportion of aggregates in class 1, the higher the organic carbon content. The results support the hypothesis that the carbon stock depends on intensification of a conservation tillage system with a continuous input of C through biomass, which maintains and supplies a continuous flow of C to the carbon transformation processes in the soil.

ABSTRACT Soil erosion from water causes loss of nutrients and organic carbon, enriches the environment outside the erosion site, and results in costs. The no-tillage system generates increased nutrient and C content in the topsoil and, although it controls erosion, it can produce a more enriched runoff than in the conventional tillage system. This study was conducted in a Humic Cambisol in natural rainfall from 1997 to 2012 to quantify the contents and total losses of nutrients and organic C in soil runoff, and to calculate the enrichment rates and the cost of these losses. The treatments evaluated were: a) soil with a crop, consisting of conventional tillage with one plowing + two harrowings (CT), minimum tillage with one chisel plowing + one harrowing (MT), and no tillage (NT); and b) bare soil: one plowing + two harrowings (BS). In CT, MT, and NT, black oat, soybean, vetch, corn, turnip, and black beans were cultivated. Over the 15 years, 15.5 Mg ha-1 of limestone, 525 kg ha-1 of N (urea), 1,302 kg ha-1 of P2O5 (triple superphosphate), and 1,075 kg ha-1 of K2O (potassium chloride) were used in the soil. The P, K, Ca, Mg, and organic C contents in the soil were determined and also the P, K, Ca, and Mg sediments in the runoff water. From these contents, the total losses, the enrichment rates (ER), and financial losses were calculated. The NT increased the P, K, and organic C contents in the topsoil. The nutrients and organic C content in the runoff from NT was greater than from CT, showing that NT was not a fully conservationist practice for soil. The linear model y = a + bx fit the data within the level of significance (p≤0.01) when the values of P, K, and organic C in the sediments from erosion were related to those values in the soil surface layer. The nutrient and organic C contents were higher in the sediments from erosion than in the soil where the erosion originated, generating values of ER>1 for P, K, and organic C. The value of the total losses of nutrients in the form of triple superphosphate fertilizer, potassium chloride, and urea and limestone by water erosion was higher in CT than in NT. For triple superphosphate, the cost of erosion losses was 29 % higher in NT than in CT, while in urea and limestone, the effectiveness of NT in reducing costs was 65 and 50 %, respectively.

ABSTRACT Water erosion degrades the soil and contaminates the environment, and one influential factor on erosion is slope length. The aim of this study was to quantify losses of soil (SL) and water (WL) in a Humic Cambisol in a field experiment under natural rainfall conditions from July 4, 2014 to June 18, 2015 in individual events of 41 erosive rains in the Southern Plateau of Santa Catarina and to estimate soil losses through the USLE and RUSLE models. The treatments consisted of slope lengths of 11, 22, 33, and 44 m, with an average degree of slope of 8 %, on bare and uncropped soil that had been cultivated with corn prior to the study. At the end of the corn cycle, the stalk residue was removed from the surface, leaving the roots of the crop in the soil. Soil loss by water erosion is related linearly and positively to the increase in slope length in the span between 11 and 44 m. Soil losses were related to water losses and the Erosivity Index (EI30), while water losses were related to rain depth. Soil losses estimated by the USLE and RUSLE model showed lower values than the values observed experimentally in the field, especially the values estimated by the USLE. The values of factor L calculated for slope length of 11, 22, 33, and 44 m for the two versions (USLE and RUSLE) of the soil loss prediction model showed satisfactory results in relation to the values of soil losses observed.

RESUMO O preparo mecânico do solo é uma das operações mais importantes de manejo na fase inicial de desenvolvimento das florestas plantadas, pois afeta alguns processos do ciclo hidrológico e a erosão hídrica, sendo, por isso, importante o conhecimento dessas variáveis. Com o presente trabalho objetivou-se quantificar as perdas de água e solo por erosão hídrica pluvial, entre o segundo e o terceiro ano de cultivo do Eucalyptus benthamii, em um experimento situado no Sul do Brasil, sobre um Cambissolo Húmico alumínico léptico, em três tratamentos de preparo do solo: i) preparo com subsolagem a favor do declive; ii) preparo com subsolagem em contorno ao declive; iii) preparo em covas com coveador manual. As parcelas tinham dimensão de 12 x 24 m, com o maior comprimento no sentido do declive, monitoradas por tanques colocados ao seu final para coleta da enxurrada. A medição do volume e a coleta de amostras da enxurrada para posterior cálculo de perdas de água e solo foi realizada semanalmente, correspondendo às chuvas acumuladas na semana. O preparo do solo a favor do declive apresentou perdas de água e solo maiores do que em contorno e em covas, cuja diferença foi 25 % para as perdas de água e 53 % para as perdas de solo. O crescimento das plantas ocasionou sensível diminuição do escoamento superficial, evidenciando que o reflorestamento, nas condições experimentais, pode controlar a erosão hídrica. As perdas de solo por erosão hídrica foram influenciadas em magnitude maior do que as perdas de água, independentemente do sistema de preparo do solo e da forma de plantio de Eucaliptus benthamii.

ABSTRACT Soil tillage influences the development of forests planted in the initial phase, which affects some hydrological processes and water erosion. The objective of this study was to quantify the water losses (WL) and soil losses (SL) by water erosion, between the second and third years of eucalyptus (Eucalyptus benthamii) crop, in an experiment located in southern Brazil, on a Humic Dystrudept. Was study three soil tillage treatments: i) subsoiling in downslope direction (SD); ii) subsoiling in contour on the slope (SC); iii) manual holes (MH). The plots had a dimension of 12 x 24 m, being the slope-wise length the greatest, monitored by tanks placed at the lower end for runoff collection. Runoff volume measurement and sampling for subsequent calculation of WL and SL was carried out weekly, corresponding to the rains accumulated during the week. The crop of eucalyptus in SD treatment, weakened the soil as to the water erosion in relation to the crop made in SC and in MH; the difference was 25% for the WL and 53% for the SL. Eucalyptus reforestation played an important role in the control of water erosion, regardless of the type of soil tillage. The SL due to water erosion were more influenced than the WL, regardless of the type of soil crop used. WL and SL are related to each other and to rainfall height in positive linear relationship, regardless of the type of soil preparation used for eucalyptus planting.