Soil physical quality: a comprehensive analysis of its importance for agricultural production

Abstract

In Brazil, soil physics has acquired great notoriety in recent decades due to losses in agricultural production resulting from soil degradation. Degraded areas are commonly abandoned and generate greenhouse gas emissions, which is why the conservationist soil management have been a priority in government programs. The application of this type of management requires indepth knowledge about the physical properties of the soil and how each of them interacts with other components of the environment. In this context, the objective of this review article was to bring scientific work that correlated the physical quality of the soil with agricultural productivity. Articles indexed in the Web bases of Science, Scopus, Scielo and Redalyc were used. This methodology provided 129 articles, 4 books, 1 book chapter and a doctoral thesis. It can be established that the physical quality of the soil is dynamic and influenced by a set of properties simultaneously, also responding to soil management and climatic conditions. Compaction is the most studied property and has direct effects on the loss of agricultural production, leading many areas to erosion and compromising the soil’s environmental functions. It is considered that maintaining the physical quality of the soil is an essential component within the planning of agricultural activities and can prevent the degradation of areas. Understanding the dynamics of these properties can also help in reversing advanced cases of loss of soil physical quality.