BEHAVIOR THE WATER IN TYPICAL YELLOW OXISOIL OF CENTRAL AMAZON UNDER BIOCHAR APPLICATION

Resumo

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of biochar saturation doses on the cumulative loss of water in a Yellow Latosol typical of Central Amazonia. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse of the National Institute of Research of the Amazon - INPA, in Manaus-AM. Biochar was used from the pyrolysis of brown urchins and a secondary forest soil. A completely randomized design with five biochar doses (0, 20, 40, 60 and 80 t ha-1) was used with four replicates, each experimental unit consisting of a plastic vessel with 2500 g of soil with biochar. The observed variables were the amount of water required for soil saturation and the cumulative loss of water in seven periods (24 h, 48 h, 72 h, 96 h, 120 h, 144 h and 168 h). The water measurements required for saturation were based on dry soil and, while losses were calculated based on the subtraction of the saturated soil mass and the wet mass of each period. The biochar doses did not significantly influence the amount of water required for saturation of the studied soil. Attenuated water losses were observed with the application of 20 and 40 t ha-1 of biochar. The higher doses of 60 and 80 t ha-1 of biochar promoted the greatest accumulated losses of soil water.