Relação solo, clima e uso agrícola no território do Rio Grande do Norte

Abstract

In the last decades, there was an incorporation of technical contents in the agrarian systems of Rio Grande do Norte, aiming to expand the production of fruit growing. Despite the technical implementation, agricultural activities still depend on the natural factors of the land to satisfy their needs, especially in areas that have low insertion of these contents. Thus, it is important to understand how environmental aspects are spatialized within the territory and the importance of these aspects for the physiological processes of each species. From this reasoning, we start from the analysis of three cultures grown in the state: pineapple, banana and cashew, chosen for the economic importance of each one in the territory of Rio the state and for their technical differences used in their development. Thus, the central objective of this research is to analyze the spatialization of pineapple, banana and cashew crops in the territory, taking into account the relationship of environmental characteristics with edaphic factors, as well as the potential for expansion of these crops, from existing land stocks and techniques incorporated in the territory. To achieve this objective, a literature review was carried out associated with the use of secondary data, to understand the spatialization of environmental aspects and selected crops and generate the mapping of land stock areas in geomorphological units where crops are already practiced. Primary data collections were also carried out, such as soil samples in the field and physical and chemical analyzes in the laboratory. This data, used and generated, through statistical procedures, enabled the creation and application of an index called Environmental Quality Index for Agriculture (IQAPA in Portuguese), with the purpose of classifying land stocks for agricultural suitability. As a result, it was found that the selected land stock areas correspond to a total area of 7,782,493 km², which are susceptible to the practices of the crops highlighted in the research. Of this total, for the pineapple crop, 82.89% were classified as excellent and 17.11% were classified as good. For the banana crop, 0.51% were classified as regular, 98.48% as good and 1.01% as excellent. For cashew, 10.85% of the lands are classified as regular, 78.22% as good and 10.93% as excellent. Such information makes it possible to subsidize agricultural development programs for Rio Grande do Norte, providing the best use of suitable land and regional development.