Biogenic and physicogenic aggregates as indicators of quality in soils with sandy texture in areas of organic agriculture

Sandy texture soils have a great expression in agricultural areas worldwide. In the Baixada Fluminense, soils with a sandy texture on the surface horizons are striking, and a good part of these areas is destined for producing vegetables using conventional cultivation methods. The sandy texture is one of the great challenges for agriculture due to the low water retention capacity provided to the soil, the rapid decomposition of organic matter, and the intense loss of nutrients by leaching. In these areas, the action of erosive processes is sometimes observed, whether water or wind erosion. The practices carried out in conventional agriculture can accentuate these processes. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of different soil management systems, with different vegetation covers, on the pathways of aggregate formation, the nutrient contents contained therein, and the organic matter fractions, with the objective of using these properties as indicators of soil quality. The study was carried out in an organic production unit, with no-till system (NT) and conventional system (CT), three vegetal covers were evaluated, namely; seed cocktail 1 (C1) (Crotalaria (Crotalaria juncea) (20 kg ha -1 ), Jack Bean (Canavalia ensiformis) (150 kg ha -1 ) and millet (Pennisetum glaucum) (60 kg ha -1 )), and seed cocktail 2 (C2) (with 50 % of the amount of seeds used in C1), and spontaneous plants (S. P). Undisturbed samples were collected at the layers of 0.00-0.05 and 0.05-0.10 m, and, from these samples, aggregates with a diameter between 9.7 and 8.0 mm were classified according to the formation route (Biogenic or Physicogenic). From these, the chemical properties were quantified (pH, Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , Al 3+ , P, Na + , K + ), and also the carbon fractions (total organic carbon – TOC, mineral-associated organic carbon – MAOC), particulate organic carbon – POC, and free light fraction carbon – LFC). Based on the results, it was verified that the percentage of biogenic aggregates was higher than the physicogenic one in the layer of 0.00-0.05 m, not being verified influences of the vegetal coverage or the management system. Chemical properties did not differ significantly between training pathways. The CT, for the most part, was the system in which the highest values of chemical properties were observed, and in general, the C2 and S.P coatings were the ones that provided the greatest improvements for chemical properties and carbon content.