Soil physical attributes under different tillage systems and cover crops, as influenced by pore distribution

This study aimed to evaluate the influence of pore distribution on some physical attributes of soil under no-tillage (NT) and conventional tillage (CT) systems, cultivated with different cover crops, in organic production of common bean and corn. The work was carried out in Santo Antonio de Goias, GO, on an Oxisol. In November 2003 four experiments were installed, two of them under NT and the other two under CT. In each soil tillage system, an experiment was conducted with corn and another with common bean. Sunn hemp, pigeon pea, velvet bean, sorghum, and fallow were compared in a randomized block design, with four replications. Samples were taken from soil layers of 0-0.10 and 0.10-0.20 m in November 2007, in the plots and in a near by native forest (Cerrado), for determination of soil organic matter (OM) content and physical attributes. Cerrado soil use for agricultural production, regardless of tillage system, resulted in decrease of soil total porosity (TP), macroporosity (Mp), and soil air capacity (SAC). Soil physical attributes were favorably affected by OM. Variations in TP, Mp, SAC, and available soil water capacity can be explained by variation in soil pore size distribution, mainly by those with empty set > 0.075 mm.