The study of pore distribution is an important physical evaluation of the soil submitted to different production systems. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the pore distribution of a Eutroferric Red Latosol as a parameter of its physical quality to analyze its efficiency in the initiation of a no-till system. A fully randomized experimental design was used with four rotation treatments in Winter (winter maize, green cover rotation, black oats and wheat) and two depths (0-0.2 m and 0.2-0.4 m) with three replicates per treatment. After three years of initialization of the treatments (vegetal covers) physical (bulk density), physical-hydrical (macro and micro porosity, total porosity and soil water retention curve) and organic matter (one amostre composed by ten replicates per treatment) evaluations were carried out. The results obtained showed that the vegetables covers didn't influenced the macro porosity; the micro porosity, total porosity, the water retention and the bulk density in two depths, 0-0.2 and 0.2-0.4 m, and, the black oat rotation promoted the biggest macro porosity of soil in a depth of 0-0.2 m in comparison with winter maize and wheat rotations and with wheat rotation in a depth of 0.2-0.4 m. In all treatments the biggest values of bulk density was in a depth of 0-0.20 m.
porosity; retention curve; soil management
