Abstract

OSUNA-CEJA, Esteban S. et al. Effect of soil structure on corn root development under two tillage systems. Agrociencia [online]. 2006, vol.40, n.1, pp.27-38. ISSN 2521-9766.

The soil structure (the geometric and topological arrangement of the soil pores, which are formed between the aggregates, and its stability over time and space) is a basic property, considered one of the main attributes of soil quality. In this study, two longterm irrigated tillage systems were analyzed: traditional (LT) and conservation (LC) with special emphasis on properties such as bulk density (ρb), slope of the water retention curve at its inflection point (S) and content of organic matter (OM), as well as their relationship to the corn root system (Zea mays). Comparative tests were conducted considering soil (ρb, OM and S) and plant (biomass and root length) parameters. The results show that the parameters ρb, OM and S used to measure physical quality of the soil showed that the tillage systems cause changes in soil structure and, thus, in its quality. The LC system favors better quality and increases the OM content in the soil. The values of S are lower in LT, indicating that it has lower capacity for water retention compared with LC. A high correlation between S and root length was found, significant when data were grouped by type of management. Therefore, S could be used as an indicator to evaluate the impact of agricultural practices on soil quality.

Keywords : Zea mays; conservation tillage; root systems.

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