Intensive land use can change the chemical composition of the soil solution and cause solute losses. Thus, it can alter the chemical composition of water courses. A study was carried out in a farm of EPAMIG in Oratorios, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, from June 1996 to May 1997, to evaluate the effect of soil management on the chemical composition of soil solution, taking climatic conditions into consideration. Soluble organic carbon was also determined in the soil solution and in water streams of small watersheds. Soil solution was extracted monthly from soils under different land uses from three layers: 0 to 20, 20 to 40 and 40 to 100 cm. The soil solution was extracted by centrifugation, at a relative centrifuge force of 900 g. Additionally, water samples were collected from four creeks draining out of watersheds under different land uses. A slight increase in the ion concentration was observed in the soil solution in the beginning of the wet season. The changes were pronounced for the soluble organic carbon in the soil solution and water streams. Soil fertilization promoted the displacement of exchangeable ions to the soil solution down through the soil profile. The highest soil leaching was found for the bare soil. The soluble organic carbon movement across the soil profile was higher under pasture, even though its concentration was the lowest compared to the other land uses. The highest soil organic carbon was observed in water of a creek draining out of a pasture watershed.
leachate; pH; electrical conductivity; cationic nutrients; aluminum
