This study was conducted at Experimental Station of Faculdade de Engenharia - UNESP, Ilha Solteira County, in Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil. The aim was to evaluate the water movement modifications of a Red Latosol under cerrado submited to different uses and managements. A completely randomized design with 6 treatments and 10 replicates was adopted. The treatments used and managements were: no-tillage with annual crops, conventional tillage with annual crops, minimum tillage with annual crops, native vegetation (cerrado), pasture and rubber crop. The water movement was measured through water infiltration in soil, hydraulic conductivity of saturated soil and soil resistence to penetration at 0-0.10; 0.10-0.20 and 0.20-0.40 m depth. The results showed that soil use and management changed the water movement and soil resistence to penetration. The minimum tillage was the best management system providing higher soil water infiltration capacity, saturated hydraulic conductivity and the lower soil resistence to penetration when compared to the native vegetation system. Among different uses and management, the systems with rubber crop and pasture showed the lower water movement in soil and higher soil resistence to penetration in relation to the native vegetation system.
soil management; hydraulic conductivity of saturated soil; water infiltration in soil