ABSTRACT
Agroforestry systems (AFS) have been proposed to combine the forest preservation with sustainable agricultural models. The objective of this study was to evaluate soil attributes and to correlate them with soil mechanical resistance to penetration (SMRP) of three soil classes in southwestern Amazon, in AFS areas of the project RECA, in Rondônia state. Were selected 14 areas of AFS with 20 years and similar composition, structure and tree spacing, plus two reference areas, with pasture and forest. Besides soil attributes, SMRP and soil C stock up to one meter depth were measured. Soils were classified as Oxisols, Ultisols, and Inceptisols, all with low activity clays and low nutrient levels, dystrophic character and some with very high aluminum. In the AFS areas, the SMRP values varied from 0.96 to 4.59 MPa, without restriction to plant root system in the surface, but increasing with soil depth. In general, the Oxisols showed lower values of SMRP than the Inceptisols and Ultisols, and the highest values were in the pasture reference area. The carbon stock varied from 45.19 to 126.04 Mg C ha-1, and half of the AFS areas showed values near or even higher than the C stocks in the forest reference area. The principal component analyses showed a distinction between Inceptisols and the other soil classes. The main attributes differentiating the areas were Al content, pH and granulometry.
Keywords:
Solimões formation; carbon stock; soil resistance to penetration
