Chemical and Physical Quality of the Entisol in a Natural Regeneration Area in the Semiarid Region of Paraiba

Abstract

The change in the use of the soil causes an imbalance in the ecosystems, altering the chemical and physical properties, which can make their natural recovery unviable. This study aimed to characterize chemically and physically an Entisol under the Caatinga area in a 30 years ecological succession stage in the Semiarid region of Paraiba. The experiment was carried out at the Experimental Station Professor Ignácio Salcêdo, belonging to the National Institute of Semiarid (INSA), located in the municipality of Campina Grande, in the state of Paraíba, soil samples were collected in the 0-10 cm layer, for the determination of pH levels (H2O), exchangeable acidity (Al3+) and potential acidity (H + Al), Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, P, Na+, CTC and SB, Total organic carbon (TOC) and organic matter (OM). In the physical analyses, texture, soil density, particle density, total porosity and aggregate stability were determined. The chemical characterization observed the presence of high levels of K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, CTC and SB, and low levels of Al3+ and Na+ with reduced OM and TOC contents in the 0-10 cm layer. As for physics, the textural classification was sandy loam soil, the soil density, soil porosity and aggregate stability showed values below the critical root growth index in sandy soils. The soil presented recovery characteristics of its chemical and physical quality. The description of the Entisol in the field in soil surveys contributes to a new database in order to predict a better way of use, and these results are references in studies of soil quality recovery in degraded areas in the Caatinga area.