The objective of this paper was to study the effect of eight soil tillage systems on the aggregation status of an Albaqualf at a depth of 0-10 cm using the following parameters: distribution of water stable aggregates in different size classes and mean weight diameter aggregates. The field experiment was carried out at the "Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária - Centro de Pesquisa Agropecuária de Clima Temperado" (EMBRAPA-CPACT) experimental station, in Pelotas (RS) in 1985. After ten years, the soil tillage systems with minimal soil mobilization presented the largest concentration of water stable aggregates in the larger size classes while in those systems with more soil mobilization, the largest aggregate concentration occurred in the smaller size classes. As compared to that obtained in the other tillage systems, the mean weight diameter aggregate obtained in the non cultivated soil showed a reduction of 1:11 times in relation to no-tillage plots, 1.80 time in relation to traditional and conventional irrigated rice tillage systems and of 2.87 times in relation to systems involving crop rotation. Although decreasing around 30% when under treatments involving crop rotation, organic matter content was positively correlated with mean weight diameter aggregate, when compared with non cultivated soil, thus being a potential indicator of soil disaggregation under the conditions studied.
aggregate stability; crop rotation; no-tillage; size distribution of aggregation