This study was conducted at the Experimental Station of the Faculdade de Engenharia (UNESP), Ilha Solteira County, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil, with the aim of evaluating chemical modifications in a Red Latosol under cerrado, subjected to different use and management systems. A completely randomized design with six treatments and 10 replications was used. The treatments of use and management were: no-tillage with annual crops, conventional system with annual crops, minimum tillage with annual crops, native vegetation (cerrado), pasture, and rubber tree crop. The following chemical attributes were evaluated: extractable phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, calcium, pH in CaCl2, ECEC, sum of bases (S), exchangeable aluminum and organic matter at depths of 0.0-0.1; 0.1-0.2 and 0.2-0.4 m. No-tillage and minimum tillage system led to significant increases of organic matter, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and calcium in the soil. In relation to the other systems, the pH, ECEC, and sum of bases were also higher, while the aluminum content was lower in the soil. Pasture and rubber tree crop systems reduced the organic matter, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium contents, pH, ECEC, sum of bases, and increased the aluminum content, compared to the native vegetation system. No tillage and minimum tillage systems entailed a better soil quality, since they did not only improve the chemical soil conditions, but also maintained the organic matter at similar levels as in the native vegetation system.
soil management; agroecossystems; organic matter
