Caracterização e classificação de Espodossolos nos Estados de Pernambuco e Paraíba.

Abstract

Studies on Brazilian Spodosols in marine terraces and in the low coastal tablelands are still scarce. The objective of this work was to characterize Spodosols in these environments, in the states of Pernambuco and Paraiba, getting information that could support possible changes and / or additions in the taxonomy of these soils, at suborder level in the Brazilian System of Soil Classification.The study included the examination of the contribution of iron and aluminum in the process of podzolization, the characterization of the organic matter functional groups and their relations with the spodic B horizon. Fourteen Spodosol profiles were morphologically described in selected areas of the marine terraces and costal tablelands. Samples were collected and submitted to physical, chemical and mineralogical routine analysis, selective extractions for aluminum and iron with dithionite citrate bicarbonate, ammonium oxalate and sodium pyrophosphate, in addition to the chemical fractionation of humic substances. The results showed that although some horizons, identified as Bs, due to the presence of vivid colors, not indicative of organic matter presence, presented sometimes higher organic matter content than some darker horizons classified as Bhs suggesting that the color criterion is not enough for identification of spodic B horizons. With respect to physical and chemical routine analysis, there were no differences between Spodosols developed in marine sands and low coastal tablelands. Soil mineralogy was also similar in both environments, with a predominance of kaolinite and quartz in the clay fraction and small amounts of illite, gibbsite, feldspar and anatase. In the terciary tablelands, goethite was also observed. In the silt fraction there was a predominance of quartz and kaolinite in all soils, with smaller peaks of anatase, feldspar, goethite and gibbsite. Quartz was the predominant mineral in the sand fraction of all soil profiles, with traces of feldspar. The chemical fractionation of organic matter showed that the carbon of the fulvic acid increased in the Spodic horizons of all soils, as well as the carbon fraction of the humic acids, but in smaller quantity, reinforcing the theory of organic matter complexation, verified by high relations Alp + Fep / C. The carbon of the humin fraction generally was lower than the other fractions and decreased with depth, confirming its low solubility, with concentration on the suface layers. The results of the optical density of oxalate extract (ODOE) of Alo +0.5 Feo and pH in water (1:1), showed that the soils met Soil Taxonomy (U.S.) and WRB (FAO) criteria for defining Spodic materials. The results of aluminum and iron selective extractions showed that the levels of iron were lower in comparison with aluminum levels in almost all profiles, suggesting a greater involvement of aluminum in relation to iron in the active forms of Al-humus and poorly crystalline inorganic compounds and consequently in the process of podzolization of these soils. This observation suggests the inconsistency of the terms “ferrilúvico” and “ferrihumilúvico” in the classification of Spodosols suborders in the Brazilian System of Soil Classification. The development of research aiming a new structure for the suborder level, with the classification of the different spodic B horizons types based in colors and in chemical parameters (content of C, Alo+0,5 Feo , DOEO, pH) is suggested in this work.