Influence of depth on soil physical and water parameters

Soils are made up of mineral and organic particles from the decomposition of rocks, animals and plants, distributed in surface and sub-surface layers over the years. Among the predominant classes in Brazil are the RED-YELLOW ARGISSOLS. To further understand the physical and hydric characteristics of this soil in the Tocantina Region of Maranhão and how this can affect crop development, the parameters of moisture, volumetric moisture, density, particle density, porosity and infiltration velocity were analysed at different depths (0-5; 5-10; 10-15; and 15-20 cm) at two different points. The experimental design adopted was entirely randomised, with 5 replications. The results indicated differences in most of the parameters, especially at point 2, highlighting the influence of vegetation cover and anthropogenic pressure on soil properties.