PHYSICAL, MACRO- AND MICROMORPHOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF REGOSOLS IN THE AGRESTE MERIDIONAL REGION OF PERNAMBUCO, BRAZIL

Regosols in the Agreste Meridional region of Pernambuco, Brazil, are used for various agricultural activities, and prominent among them is production of common bean. An expressive variation is perceived in common bean crop yield, possibly associated with the presence of lamellae, which make for distinct water fluxes among these soils. The objective was to analyze the macro- and micromorphological, and physical characteristics of the Regosols located in the Agreste Meridional region of Pernambuco to understand the water fluxes in these soils. Two soil profiles, located in the municipalities of Paranatama (P1 - absence of lamellae) and Sao Joao (P2 - presence of lamellae) were collected and analyzed. In the morphological properties (color, texture, structure, and consistency) no significant differences between the two soil profiles were observed; the physical properties (clay content, macro- and microporosity, field capacity, and wilting point) exhibited significant differences among the horizons of the profiles studied; micromorphology indicates that greater water retention in P2 is a consequence of the presence of areas with denser packing of their components (agglomerative packing), and expressiveness of clay bridges; and we suggest adoption of the term lamellic within the current Brazilian System of Soil Classification (in the 4th categorical level) for differentiation of the soil profiles studied.