For the study involving the water movement in soil, it becomes imperative to know their physical and hydraulic properties and their correlations. Both are of fundamental importance in the storage and transport of water and nutrients and in controlling infiltration, being influenced by the conditions of the soil surface. In this context, this study aimed to perform physical and hydraulic characterization of the soil in two experimental basins (Jatoba and Mimoso/Pesqueira, PE), in the brazilian semiarid, at different depths and vegetation cover conditions (natural vegetation, bare soil, cultivation downhill, palm contour and stone micro walls with mulching). High variability of hydraulic conductivity was observed in layers up to 50 cm. Besides this there was a decrease in sand content, organic matter, and hydraulic condutivity with depth, the soil profile in the studied basins. On the other hand, with respect to different vegetation cover, it was observed that there was no significant difference in mean hydraulic conductivity among the different evaluated conservation treatments, for the analysed depths.
hydraulic conductivity; moisture retention curve; Guelph permeameter; vegetation cover
