Potential use by attributes morphometric soil of the upper Meia Ponte watershed, Goiás

Abstract

Planning and environmental management are necessary to manage land use and to assess the suitability of land in order to maximize agricultural productivity by designing an operating system capable of sustaining human activities with minimal disruption to physical, ecological and social processes. In order to ensure the rational use of natural resources with regard to various types of soil, the physical, chemical, and morphometric characteristics of the watershed must be evaluated in order to determine the proper intensity of cultivation and soil management to avoid the loss of productive capacity due to erosion. The aim of this study was to evaluate morphometric attributes in relation to the distribution of soils in the landscape and to suggest potential alternative land uses based upon the roughness coefficient in the watershed of the upper Meia Ponte river, Goiás. Among the variables necessary to watershed planning, morphometric analysis of soil characteristics and topography has proven to be of great importance in defining its potential and characteristics with respect to water dynamics. This analysis allowed us to infer that runoff in Inceptisols and Ultisols soil classes is greater than in Oxisols. Based upon the analysis of the morphometric data, soil, and roughness coefficient, it was possible to conclude that the optimal use of the basin is for agriculture and cattle grazing, provided that the areas of natural vegetation and reforestation are preserved.