This paper presents data of an experiment carried out in a Yellow Latosol amended with sewage sludge and municipal waste compost where sugar-cane was grown for two years. The experiment design was a random block with 9 treatments and 4 replications. The treatments were: tr1 - mineral fertilization + CaCO3; tr2, tr3; tr4 and tr5 - levels of sewage sludge (respectively, 0; 33; 66 and 99 Mg ha-1, in the first year, and 0; 37; 74 and 112 Mg ha-1, in the second year, in a dry weight basis); tr6, tr7; tr8 and tr9 - levels of municipal waste compost (respectively, 0; 20; 40 and 60 Mg ha-1, in the first year, and 0; 24; 48 and 72 Mg ha-1, in the second year, in a dry weight basis). The residues were applied to topsoil manually and incorporated with a rotative plough to the total area, in the first year and, only in the inter-rows in the second year. In each plot, saturated and unsaturated hydraulic conductivities were determined in situ at the end of the first and second years of the growing cycle, using tension infiltrometer. In the first year, the results showed no effect on soil hydraulic conductivity at saturation and under -0.25 kPa matric potential. The remaining matric potentials (-0.5 and -1 kPa) showed a linear or quadratic decrease in the soil hydraulic contuctivity with the increase of the residue application rates. In the second year, the saturated soil hydraulic conductivity increased linearly for sewage sludge and quadratically for municipal waste compost, with the increase of the residue application rates. For -0.25, -0.5 and -1kPa matric potentials, a linear or quadratic decrease of the soil hydraulic conductivity was observed, with the increase of the residues application rates. It could be concluded that the soil application of urban residues causes changes in both saturated and non saturated soil hydraulic conductivity.
urban residues; physical and hidraulic properties; tension infiltrometer