WATER INFILTRATION INTO AN OXISOL IN THE SOUTH-WEST CERRADO REGION UNDER DIFFERENT USE AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

WATER INFILTRATION INTO AN OXISOL IN THE SOUTH-WEST CERRADO REGION UNDER DIFFERENT USE AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS In the Cerrado region, agricultural activities have caused negative impacts mainly on the soil and water quality. Both in crop and livestock systems, with different managements, the soil physical degradation has led to reduced productivity. The objective of this study was to investigate water infiltration into a Dystrophic Red Latosol of the Cerrado region under different managements. The treatments consisted of the management systems: a) soil under native vegetation, b) soil with soybean for one year followed by three years of grazing, c) soil with implantation of soybean, for four years, followed by four years of grazing, d) soil with continuous soybean in, no-till system, e) soil with continuous grazing. From 1995 to 2002, the infiltration rate and accumulated water infiltrated in the soil were evaluated, using the concentric ring method. In the land use systems continuous crop, continuous livestock and crop-livestock integration, the infiltration rate and cumulative infiltration into the soil were lower than in soil under native Cerrado vegetation. Of the systems studied, the values of the integrated crop livestock system were closest to the soil under native vegetation.