Application of Georadar in Areas with Different Vegetation Cover

ABSTRACT The Atlantic Forest degradation and fragmentation imposes the need for soil and vegetation assessments in order to estimate the environmental vulnerability of the remnants. The objective of this study was to evaluate the georadar applications in areas of Atlantic Forest under different forms of use in Pinheiral, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, through penetrometer impact and ground penetrating radar (GPR). Forest fragments at different stages of regeneration, and pasture and agriculture (perennial and annual) areas were selected for study. Soil characterization was performed through measurements of soil resistance to penetration (SRP) with an impact penetrometer, and the soil properties with a ground penetrating radar (georadar). SRP increased in the forest areas at initial, medium and advanced stages from 2.0 to 2.5, 2.0 to 3.0 and 2.5 to 6.0 MPa, respectively. In the perennial and annual agriculture areas, the increase in SRP was due to differences in their mineral composition, and the lowest values found in the annual agriculture area were due to fauna activity. The employment of GPR generated information in a more rapid manner than with the use of impact penetrometer.