Soil Electrochemical and Physical Properties in Coffee Crops in the State of Paraná, Brazil

Abstract

In aerated soils, pH is considered to control available nutrients to plants. Also, pH is related to soil charges and is a key property expanding double layers of colloids. These electrochemical properties are affected by soil management and are related to soil physical properties like water-dispersible clay, aggregation indexes, and infiltration rate. Water-dispersible colloids are the fraction of clay that disperse in water and are affected by nature of soil including mineralogy of clay fraction, soil management in terms of crop sequence, application of organic manures, field traffic, and mechanical stress by time of shaking for the analysis. Traffic of machines, soil tillage, and weed control methods are the main causes of change in soil physical properties in coffee crop. However, management of soil acidity with limestone and use of gypsum also can change soil physical and electrochemical properties, which are related with dynamic processes like soil air and hydraulic permeability into soil which are essential to root development and growth. Therefore, soil management in coffee crops requires comprehension of the effects of changes in soils caused by addition of amendments like limestone and gypsum, traffic of machines, and weed control methods on behavior of soil properties for better management.