Variability of C,N and P content of a tropical semiarid soil as affected by soil genesis,erosion and land clearing

Several transects of topsoil samples were taken immediately after land clearing and one year later from a savannah soil in the semiarid NE of Brazil. Natural spatial variability of key fertility indicators (C, N, P) was large with coefficients of variation >50%. This variability was related to heterogeneity of the soil parent material, and to relative slope position which affected deposition and removal of erodible materials. The distribution of gravel and different particle size fractions was an indicator of the variability as related to soil formation and erosional resorting. One year after the site was cleared and planted to trees, the decrease in C, N and resin-extractable P was in the same range as the initial spatial variability. Treatment effects were therefore difficult to observe but became more obvious when regression analysis on soil textural components was used to reduce data variability.