Sustainable soil use is becoming increasingly relevant given the increase of anthropic activities. In order to evaluate the soil quality, soil samples were collected from five areas: natural Cerrado (reference), native pasture, planted pasture, annual crops under conventional tillage and pine forest. The areas are located in the Federal District, Brazil, in a clayey Red Yellow Latosol (Acrustox). The following soil quality attributes were measured: bulk density, mechanical resistance to penetration, water infiltration rate, organic matter content, cation exchange capacity, carbon of microbial biomass and basal respiration. Based on the obtained data a comparative diagram was drawn and a soil quality index calculated for each type of use. The results showed a close inverse relationship between soil quality and intensity of use to which the areas were submitted. By analyzing these attributes and the establishment of a comparative model it was possible to evaluate the level of soil degradation caused by each type of use in each area.
environmental impacts; soil physics; soil chemistry; soil biology
