TEMPORAL STABILITY OF SOIL MOISTURE UNDER THREE SOIL USES IN A CATCHMENT OF THE MANTIQUEIRA RANGE REGION, MINAS GERAIS STATE, BRAZIL

The description of soil hydrological processes is relatively complex, especially in the case of moisture, which is influenced by edaphic, topographic, climatic and vegetation factors. Under field conditions, an adequate sampling strategy is required to estimate soil moisture, considering variations in time and space. To represent the soil moisture adequately with less sampling effort and cost, the concept of temporal stability has often been applied. This study was carried out with the objective of analyzing the temporal stability of the surface soil moisture (0-0.20 m layer) under three land uses in an experimental area in a catchment of the Mantiqueira Range region, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, in the dry and rainy seasons, identifying the most representative points for monitoring. Greatest temporal stability was observed in the wetland, less under Atlantic Forest and intermediate in a pasture area. Significant variation was also observed in the mean relative difference between the sampling periods, indicating that the characteristics of each site should be particularly considered to choose the points. In the pasture area, only one point could be identified to monitor both periods (rainy and dry). On the other hand, in the Atlantic Forest and wetland areas two points were identified, one specifically for the rainy and the other for the dry season; so an individual analysis for each season is recommended.