Pore System and Water Retention Capacity in a Latosol under Different Weed Management Systems in a Coffee Plantation

The weed management systems applied in coffee plantations can promote changes in soil structure that compromise the capacity of the soil to infiltrate, distribute, transmit and retain water, in function of pore-size distribution. The aim of this study was to verify the effect of applying different techniques of weed management on the pore system and water retention capacity in a Latosol (Oxisol) in the inter-rows of a coffee plantation. The area of study is located at the Epamig Experimental Farm (Latitude 20 degrees 55'00 '' S and Longitude 47 degrees 07'10 '' W) in Sao Sebastiao do Paraiso, southern Minas Gerais. The weed managements evaluated were: without hoe (SCAP), manual hoe