Abstract

Pineapple is a rustic species but may respond positively to conservation practices of soil management. This work aimed to evaluate the physical properties of the soil under conservation management practices for the cultivation of pineapple genotypes. The treatments consisted of four varieties of pineapple, two levels of gypsum (0 to 4 t ha-1), two levels of management (with and without cover crop - millet), and two soil layers (0 -0.05 and 0.05 - 0.20 m). A randomized complete block design was used, with four replications and treatments arranged in a 4 x 2 x 2 x 2 factorial scheme, resulting in 128 plots. Soil samples were collected in volumetric corer of 100 cm3. The water retention curve of the soil was obtained using the Van Genuchten model. By model fit, residual moisture values (θr), saturation moisture (θs), inflection point (θfwc), S index and available water capacity (AWC) were obtained. Also, there was a significant effect of layer and genotype on the properties studied. The combination of gypsum 4 t ha-1 (G4) and millet significantly reduces the value of θr and increases water availability (AWC).

Key words: Ananas comosus, available water capacity, Red-Yellow Latosol, cover crop.