Diagnose of soil fertility properties of a representative agricultural mesoregion in the Cerrado biome as affected by land use

In Brazil, most of cereal production is concentrated in the Cerrado which is characterized by poor soils. Thus, the soil fertility management is important for suitable use of Cerrado’s soils. After 40 years of increasing use of Cerrado for agricultural purposes, this work aimed to evaluate the soil fertility of a representative area known as Triângulo Mineiro and Alto Paranaíba (TMAP) mesoregion. Different land uses from 126 farms were selected for soil sampling and assessed the following properties: pH; exchangeable Al³⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺; available P, K⁺, S, B, Fe, Cu, Mn, and Zn; soil organic matter (SOM); and cation exchange capacity (CEC) effective and potential at pH 7.0. Land uses improved the soil fertility properties compared to native Cerrado vegetation, except planted forests. The pH increased and Al³⁺ was neutralized, however, satisfactory contents of Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ were not reached. CEC is still considered low to medium, since SOM was not significantly increased. Available P, S, Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu contents increased, being considered satisfactory. In general, our findings suggest that the nutrients can be considered adequate for crop production and sustainability. However, continuous monitoring for maintenance of soil fertility and adoption of best management practices are needed.

Key words
soil health; soil quality; soil fertility; tropical crops; tropical soils