ABSTRACT Soil temperature is a physical property of great agricultural importance in the soil-plant relationship and in energy exchange with the atmosphere. This study was conducted in a degraded Cambissolo Háplico Ta Eutrófíco (Cambisol; Inceptisol) in the Irecê Identity Territory, Bahia, Brazil, aiming to evaluate the hourly, daily, and monthly fluctuations of soil temperature at depth, and soil thermal diffusivity in the castor bean crop. Hourly soil temperature data from February 4, 2014, to September 30, 2015, were obtained by using thermocouple sensors (copper-constantan) horizontally installed at 0.05, 0.10, and 0.20 m depths. Soil thermal diffusivity was estimated by phase and amplitude methods. Results showed that, for most days, the soil... |