The potato is a food which has a high biological value and significant social importance in the fight against hunger. Its management traditionally uses mechanization before and during cultivation, plenty of water in well-drained soils and agrochemicals for soil fertilization and pest control. For many decades, the potato cropping has emerged as one of the most remarkable social-economic activities of the city of Bueno Brandão, in the southern part of Minas Gerais State. In this work, the potato cropping areas in the sub-basin of Rio das Antas were monitored in order to obtain a pre-diagnosis of the agricultural management adopted in the region and the environmental impacts due to the intensive use of agrochemicals, proximity to water courses and mechanization in steep slopes areas. It was possible to verify the predominance of the semi-mechanized system which disregards the terrain slopes. It was also found that in most cases the soil analysis or consulting agronomists cease to be performed for soil treatment and planting. Therefore, it was concluded that the production system used is not according to the environmental fragility of the region, which is mountainous and full of waterways, making it very susceptible to erosion and water contamination.
Agrochemicals; permanent preservation area; mechanization; erosion; contamination
