The Cerrado is being increasingly exploited in production systems characterized by intensive land use, without due concern for the preservation of natural resources. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of no-tillage soybean on the physical properties of Oxisols. The study was carried out in the region of "Serra do Quilombo", located in the Cerrado region of the State of Piauí. To assess changes in soil properties caused by agricultural use, soil samples were collected from conventional (CT) and no tillage (NT) areas with different use history; PC7/PD8 - seven years CT followed by eight years NT; PC5/PD4 - five years CT followed by four years NT; PC3/PD3 - three years CT and three years NT; and NC - native cerrado vegetation. The results were subjected to variance analysis and multivariate techniques. Factorial analysis, a Multivariate Analysis technique, was used to identify similarities within soil physical properties. The evaluated soil properties were particle-size-distribution, water dispersible clay, clay flocculation degree, silt / clay ratio, bulk and particle density, total porosity, macro and microporosity. Greater bulk density and microporosity values were observed in NT and macroporosity and total porosity were higher under NC. The results showed that NT changed the total pore volume and macroporosity, however the values were not considered restrictive. The Factorial analysis enabled the combined visualization of soil properties, indicating that the soil properties bulk density, total porosity and macroporosity were most affected by the use systems.
soil physical properties; management systems; soil degradation; multivariate analysis
