SOIL STRUCTURE QUALITY IN AN INTEGRATED AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION SYSTEM IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF ARIQUEMES, RONDÔNIA

Abstract

The objective was to evaluate the quality of soil structure in an integrated system of agricultural production. The study was carried out at the farm Esperança, in the municipality of Ariquemes-RO, in August 2017. Three areas belonging to the integrated production system and an extensive pasture area were sampled. Area 1 shows a history of cultivation in succession of corn / Brachiaria ruziziensis (without grazing) in the agricultural year 2015/2016 and a soybean crop in 2016/2017. In area 2, soybean / maize / Brachiaria ruziziensis (grazing) succession in the agricultural year 2014/2015 with 1 soybean crop in 2015/2016 and soybeans in 2016/2017 occurred previously. Area 3 comes from Brachiaria ruziziensis / soybean succession (without grazing) in the agricultural year 2014/2015, followed by 1 soybean crop in 2015/2016 and again soybean / Brachiaria ruziziensis in 2016/2017. Area 4 was composed of degraded pasture. The quality of the soil structure was evaluated visually by the rapid soil structure diagnosis method, assigning scores from 1 to 6 for the Soil Structural Quality Index (IQES). The treatments used in areas 1, 2 and 3 provided higher soil structural quality than area 4 (degraded pasture area), with the following notes being observed: 4.87; 4.67; 5.67 and 2.57, for areas 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively. The succession Brachiaria ruziziensis / soybean (without grazing), soybean, soybean / Brachiaria ruziziensis resulted in better quality of soil structure. The degraded pasture presented bad soil structure quality.KEYWORDS: No-till; Soil management, Soil structure.