Specific Management Areas as a Function of Dendrometric Properties of Eucalyptus and Physical-Chemical Attributes in an Oxisol

Eucalyptus cultivation has expanded considerably in Brazil, especially in regions where soils have low fertility, as in the Brazilian Cerrado (Brazilian Savannah). In order to achieve high yield, it is necessary to know the appropriate time and place to perform the soil management, and to assist in this decision-making process, mathematical and computational models has been used and are a promising alternative. The objective of this study was to model the influence of plant and soil physical-chemical attributes on Eucalyptus camaldulensis cultivation in an Oxisol (Latossolo Vermelho distrófico), with clayey texture with the purpose of demonstrating specific management areas closely associated with eucalyptus development. An experimental grid of approximately 2 hectares (ha) containing 40 sampling points were installed and later soil and plant attributes were collected for the determination of physical and chemical attributes in the 0-0.20 m and 0.20-0.40 m layers in Selvíria, MS, Brazil. The results were analyzed using classical and geostatistical statistics. The spatial dependence varied according to the physical attribute evaluated and the depth of sampling. In addition to the vertical variability, there was also horizontal variability between depths, since for the same attribute the range was different between the sampled layers.