SPATIAL VARIABILITY AND MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF SOIL PHYSICAL PROPERTIES IN A PANDEIROS RIVER MICRO BASIN

Abstract

Introduction: The survey of the soil physical attributes and the relief is paramount for the monitoring of the environmental modifications resulting from the anthropic actions. Objetive: The objective of this study was to characterize the soil physical attributes in a Pandeiros river micro basin, Várzea Bonita district, Januária, Minas Gerais, Brazil, determining the spatial variability of the attributes and to analyze in a multivariate manner which attributes reflect the variance in the area considered. Methods: Twenty-five soil georeferenced points were sampled, some physical attributes were characterized and the relief. Results: Soil mapping in the studied micro basin indicated spatial dependence for most of the soil physical attributes, except for the saturated soil hydraulic conductivity. The multivariate analysis of soil physical attributes based on the main components explained 95.72% of data variability in the micro basin, making it possible to delimit more sensitive attributes in the monitoring of changes occurring in the soil. Conclusions: The medium sand, fine sand, and very fine sand levels are the attributes that most reflect soil changes.