SPATIAL DEPENDENCE OF THE AGGREGATE STABILITY AND O RGANIC MATTER IN A CAMBISOL UNDER SUGAR CANE CULTIVATION

Abstract

The soil management system can modify the natural d istribution of the soil attributes and, con- sequently, the variability of the soil aggregation and organic matter content. Thus, the aim of this w ork was to evaluate the aggregate stability and organic matter content spatial distribution on a Haplic Cambisol under sugar cane cultivation in the Southern Amazonas Sta te, Brazil. A 70 x 70 m square mesh, with regular 1 0 me- ters intervals, was designed over the cultivation a rea, resulting in 64 sample points. Soil blocks wit h preserved structure were collected at 0.0-0.2 m depth in orde r to analyze the aggregate stability and organic ma tter con- tent. The data were submitted to the descriptive an d geostatistical analysis. The soil attributes pres ented a spa- tial dependence structure and the greater range was observed for the mean weighted diameter and aggreg ate class 2.00 and 2.00-1.00 mm).