Chemical and physical pedoindicators of soils with different textures: spatial variability

Knowing the spatial variability of properties indicative of environmental changes through multivariate and geostatistical analysis can enhance soil planning, use and management. This study focused on assessing the spatial variability of physical and chemical pedoindicators of soils with different textures. The study took place at the northeast area of São Paulo State, in Red Latosol (Oxisol) with medium and clayey texture and another with sandy texture. In these areas, samples were collected within a 40 × 55-m mesh, at regular spaces of 10 × 5 m, by digging mini trenches of 0.0–0.10 m and 0.10–0.20 m depths. These samples were used to determine the following variables: pH, potassium, calcium, magnesium, P resin (phosphorus), potential acidity, boron, sulfur, iron, manganese, zinc, organic matter, soil density, density of particles, macro- and microporosity and total porosity. Data underwent multivariate, descriptive and geostatistics analyses. Multivariate analysis selected properties that most contributed for soil variability and its relationships to the studied areas. Thus, we could observe that medium and sandy texture soils showed larger variability, within a lower range. Soil pH and density can be pedoindicators of environmental changes for medium texture Latosol and sandy texture Acrisol, respectively. Kriging maps showed pedoindicator properties have a spatial variability that follows alterations in terrain slope changes.