Important soil attributes for estimating the aggregate stability index

Abstract

The objective of this work was to identify the most important soil attributes to estimate the aggregate stability index. To identify these attributes, multiple stepwise regression was used on data collected from an
Eutrorthox cultivated under a no‑tillage system. To obtain the prediction models for the aggregate stability index (IeaE), ten independent variables were evaluated: total clay, bulk density, penetration resistance, organic matter, pH in water, effective cation exchange capacity, available water, total porosity, macroporosity, and gravimetric moisture. The attributes total clay (Arg), bulk density (Ds), penetration resistance (RP), organic matter (MO), and pH are the most important for the estimation of the IeaE, and the pedotransfer function that best describes this index is: IeaE = 27.80 + 0.04Arg + 27.97Ds + 12.35RP + 0.45MO ‑ 9.72pH (R2 = 0.89).