The aim of this work is to study the soil and plant contamination by heavy metals (lead, cadmium and mercury) in five selected places of Brno city. The sampling place Opuštěná represents the heavily polluted locality with high traffic density situated in the city centre. Sampling places Vídeňská and Podstránská belong to medium polluted localities, that are situated close to frequented roads. Relatively clean localities are represented by Musorgského and Šrámkova places, which are situated in peripheral city district with smaller traffic density. Soil and plants were sampled at two time periods (November 2008 and January 2009). Average amounts of mercury, cadmium and lead in collected soil samples are lower then limits of the Directive number 13/1994 of the Code of Ministry of the Environment. The content of heavy metals in soils corresponds to the sampling place. The highest value of metals content was found in the soil sampled at Opuštěná site. The content of lead and mercury in leaves of common dandelion was higher than the content in roots. In the case of cadmium the situation was opposite, the highest content was measured in underground part of the plant. It was found, that the content of heavy metals in leafy and underground part showed only small difference between sampling places. Nevertheless, the locality Opuštěná is found again as the highest contaminated place. Values of pH of collected soil samples were ranged in neutral area between 7 and 7,5.

Sur le site de la friche industrielle de l'Escalette dans le parc national des Calanques (Marseille), une réflexion alliant écologie de la restauration et phytoremédiation est menée dans le but d'optimiser les fonctions écosystémiques qui limitent les transferts d'éléments traces métalliques et métalloïdes (ETMM) des sols. Une caractérisation in situ de la composition et la structure des communautés végétales natives et spontanées a été menée sur des sites fortement contaminés, permettant de sélectionner des plantes tolérantes. La réponse de deux espèces pérennes natives à l'hétérogénéité de la contamination des sols en ETMM a été évaluée in situ, notamment via l'analyse des interactions sol-plantes microorganismes de la zone rhizosphérique. Enfin, des essais de restauration écologique des communautés végétales natives, basés sur la capacité de plantes natives tolérantes à stabiliser les ETMM et les dynamiques de résilience des communautés végétales, ont été menés sur une zone fortement contaminée. Les résultats indiquent qu'un siècle de contamination en ETMM a affecté de façon significative les communautés végétales en terme de composition, diversité et structure. Ils mettent en évidence une tolérance des plantes natives impliquant des microorganismes symbiotiques. Les résultats préliminaires des essais de restauration écologique confirment le choix d'espèces natives pour relancer une dynamique de végétation sur sols très contaminés et l’importance de créer des microsites favorables dans des milieux (semi-)arides hétérogènes. Ils apportent une contribution au développement d'écotechnologies pour la restauration des sols contaminés dans un contexte méditerranéen. / On the Escalette brownfield, included in the area of the Calanques National Park (Marseille, southeastern France), a research project combining restoration ecology and phytoremediation is carried out, in order to optimize the ecosystem functions which limit the transfers of metals and metalloids (MM) and to restore the functions of the contaminated soils. We developed an in situ characterization approach of the composition and structure of plant communities that grow on MM contaminated sites. This enabled the selection of native plants, tolerant to high concentrations of MM. In a second step, the response of two native perennial species to surface and depth heterogeneity of MM soil contamination was evaluated in-situ, regarding the soil-plant-microorganism interactions at the rhizosphere level. Finally, ecological restoration trials of native plant communities were carried out in a polluted hotspot, based on the ability of native plants to stabilize MM and the resilience dynamics of plant communities.The results indicated that a century of MM pollution pressure produced a significant correlation with plant community dynamics in terms of composition, diversity and structure. They showed that the tolerance of native plants involves symbiotic microorganism interactions. Preliminary results from ecological restoration trials confirmed the method for native plants species selection to recover a vegetation dynamic on highly polluted soils and the importance of creating favorable microsites in heterogeneous (semi-)arid environments. They contribute to the development of ecotechnologies for the restoration of contaminated soils in a Mediterranean context.

Proposer l’adoption de la procédure de phytoremédiation des sites de déversement d’hydrocarbures au Cameroun nécessite des arguments scientifiques vérifiés. L’objectif principal de cette thèse est de (i) faire une étude floristique des sites de déversement anarchique de produits pétroliers au Cameroun, (ii) tester les potentialités de phytoremédiation de quelques espèces végétales sur des sols contaminés au fioul domestique, (iii) évaluer l’effet de différentes concentrations d’hydrocarbures sur la morpho-anatomie et la physiologie des plantes, (iv) modéliser le transfert sol-plante des HAP. Les prospections floristiques des sites de déversement d’hydrocarbures menées dans 4 villes du Cameroun ont permis d’identifier 106 espèces appartenant à 76 genres et 30 familles ; dont seules 15 espèces sont qualifiées de polluo-tolérantes. Les expérimentations ont permis de montrer que toutes les 3 espèces (C. dactylon, E. indica et A. sessilis) sont impliquées dans les processus de rhizodégradation des HCT et HAP ; E. indica and C. dactylon ayant favorisé une meilleure phytoextraction de quelques HAP comparé à A. sessilis. La modélisation mécaniste du transfert sol-plante des HAP a confirmé ces observations. La tolérance aux HAP est plus accrue chez E. indica et C. dactylon par rapport à A. sessilis. La culture mixte de E. indica et C. dactylon est très impactée par les HAP. En culture seule, le ralentissement des processus physiologiques de C. dactylon dans les sols pollués n’a pas d’impacts majeurs sur ses capacités phytoremédiatrices. Ceci permet donc de recommander C. dactylon pour la gestion durable des sols pollués par les hydrocarbures dans le monde entier en général, et au Cameroun en particulier ; pour des pollutions de sols n’excédant pas 33500 ppm. / To propose the implementation of phytoremediation process to clean up oil spill sites in Cameroon requires verified scientific arguments. The main objective of this thesis is to (i) carry out a floristic study of anarchic oil spill sites in Cameroon, (ii) test the phytoremediation potential of some plant species in soils contaminated with fuel oil, (iii) evaluate the effect of different hydrocarbon concentrations on morpho-anatomy and plant physiology, (iv) modelling the soil-plant transfer of PAHs. Floristic surveys of oil spill sites carried out in 4 Cameroonian cities have identified 106 species belonging to 76 genera and 30 families; amoung which 15 species are qualified as polluo-tolerant. Experiments have shown that the (C. dactylon, E. indica and A. sessilis) are involved into rhizodegradation of TPHs and PAHs; E. indica and C. dactylon having promoted a better phytoextraction of some PAHs compared to A. sessilis. Mechanistic modelling of the soil-plant transfer of PAHs confirmed these observations. Tolerance to PAHs is higher for both E. indica and C. dactylon than A. sessilis. The mixed cropping of E. indica and C. dactylon is highly impacted by PAHs. Cropping alone, the slowing down of C. dactylon's physiological processes in polluted soils does not have a significant impact on its phytoremediation potentialities. This makes it possible to recommend C. dactylon in the sustainable management of hydrocarbon-polluted soils worldwide in general, and particularly in Cameroon; for soil pollution not exceeding 33500 ppm.

In der Arbeit werden nach einer detaillierten Beschreibung der eingesetzten Böden mit erhöhter Konzentration an den Radionukliden 210Pb, 226Ra, 227Ac, 230Th und 238U und der angewandten Analysenverfahren eine umfangreiche Übersicht über die Transferfaktoren Boden - Pflanze für die einzelnen Pflanzenteile der in der menschlichen Ernährung genutzten Gemüse und in Futterpflanzen vorgestellt. Die gammaspektrometrischen Bestimmungen von geringen Radioaktivitäten wurden einem Untertagemesslabor durchgeführt. Die Unterschiede in den Transferfaktoren für die Pflanzen und deren Teile und Böden und die Beziehungen zwischen Transferfaktoren und eluierbaren Anteilen der Böden, Pflanzenteile; sowie zwischen den radioaktiven Elementen Radium und Actinium und den Elementen Barium und Lanthan wurden dargestellt. Es wurde bei den Pflanzen eine Abnahme der Radioaktivität von der Wurzel über Stängel und Blatt zur Frucht festgestellt. Die Transferfaktoren für das bisher kaum bestimmten 227Ac ist relativ hoch und liegt in der Größenordnung der sehr konservativ angesetzten Richtwerte des Strahlenschutzes, während sie für die anderen Radionuklide weit unter den Richtwerten liegen. / The used soils with enhanced activity of the radionuclides 210Pb, 226Ra, 227Ac, 230Th, and 238U and the analytical methods for the determination of soil-plant transfer factors are described and a survey of the obtained values for parts of plants used for human nutrition are presented. Gamma spectrometric determination of low radioactivities has been performed in an underground laboratory. For comparison the factors are determined for the plants of similar elements Ba for Ra and La for Ac. In all cases the values decreases from the roots over the leaves to the fruits. The values for 227Ac are relatively high and are in the magnitude of the „Richtwerte“ for radiation protection, in spite of the other radionuclides, which are lower than the „Richtwerte“.

A three-dimensional computational tool was developed that simulates the heat and mass transfer interaction in a soil-root-stem system (SRSS) for a tree in a seasonally varying deciduous forest. The development of the SRSS model involved the modification and coupling of existing heat and mass transport tools to reproduce the three-dimensional diurnal internal and external temperatures, internal fluid distribution, and heat flow in the soil, roots, and stems. The model also required the development of a parallel Monte-Carlo algorithm to simulate the solar and environmental radiation regime consisting of sky and forest radiative effects surrounding the tree. The SRSS was tested, component-wise verified, and quantitatively compared with published observations. The SRSS was applied to simulate a tree in a dense temperate hardwood forest that included the calculations of surface heat flux and comparisons between cases with fluid flow transport and periods of zero flow. Results from the winter simulations indicate that the primary influence of temperature in the trunk is solar radiation and radiative energy from the soil and surrounding trees. Results from the summer simulation differed with previous results, indicating that sap flow in the trunk altered the internal temperature change with secondary effects attributed to the radiative energy from the soil and surrounding trees. Summer simulation results also showed that with sap flow, as the soil around the roots become unsaturated, the flow path for the roots will be changed to areas where the soil is still saturated with a corresponding increase in fluid velocity.

En contexte forestier méditerranéen au sein de la région provençale calcaire (sud de la France), les relations sol/structure fonctionnelle catabolique des communautés microbiennes/communautés végétales ont été abordées selon différentes échelles bioclimatiques : un gradient latitudinal et altitudinal, et une échelle écosystémique restreinte à différentes séries de chênes pubescents. Ces travaux ont permis d’estimer les contributions respectives (et de leurs interactions) de la structure et de la composition de la végétation et des variables abiotiques dans la détermination des propriétés fonctionnelles des communautés microbiennes des sols. Dans le contexte des changements climatiques globaux, cette même stratégie a été mise en œuvre pour estimer les incidences, sur les potentiels cataboliques et les profils fonctionnels, d’un double stress hydrique et thermique ex situ, mimétique d’une vague de chaleur. Pour les diverses échelles spatiales, nos résultats ont mis en évidence la prépondérance de la part d’interaction entre la végétation et les variables abiotiques épigées et hypogées dans la structuration fonctionnelle des communautés microbiennes. Suite au stress, une diminution globale de leurs potentiels cataboliques a pu être observée. Néanmoins, nos résultats ont révélé une robustesse différentielle des relations entre la végétation et la structure fonctionnelle des communautés microbiennes selon le stade d’évolution de la végétation et de la nature des espèces constitutives de ces formations au niveau de leur dynamique d’occupation spatiale. Ceci pourrait atténuer ou exacerber les effets du réchauffement climatique sur les écosystèmes forestiers méditerranéens. / In Mediterranean forest ecosystems in the limestome-based Provence area (south of France), soil-microbial community functional catabolic structure-vegetation relationships were assessed based on different bioclimatic scales, across a latitudinal gradient, an elevation gradient, and at a restricted ecosystemic scale focusing on Pubescent oak forest stands. The respective parts (and their interactions) of the vegetation composition and structure and the abiotic variables in their functional profiles were investigated. Furthermore, in the context of climate change, this same strategy was used to investigate the effects of an ex situ water and thermic stress, mimetic to a heatwave event on microbial community catabolic potentials and functional profiles. For all the considered scales, our results highlighted the major part of the interactions between vegetation and abiotic aboveground-belowground variables in the determination of soil microbial community functional structure. Drought induced a decrease in their potential catabolic activities. Nevertheless, our results revealed a varying robustness of the interactions between vegetation and soil microbial functional structure based on the dynamic step of the evolution of the forest stands and on the type of their constitutive species. This may mitigate or exacerbate climate change effects on Mediterranean forest ecosystems.

Com o objetivo de avaliar, durante cinco anos, o efeito de dois sistemas de manejo dos resíduos culturais, colheita tradicional com queima prévia (CQ) e colheita sem queima (SQ), sobre a produtividade da cana-de-açúcar e a dinâmica do nitrogênio no sistema solo-planta em função do nitrogênio introduzido através do fertilizante e dos resíduos culturais, foi instalado um experimento com adubação no plantio com 63kg.ha-1 de N com os seguintes tratamentos: (T1) 15N-SA (sulfato de amônio) e colheita SQ, recebendo na primeira colheita o total dos resíduos não marcados produzidos no T2; (T2) SA e colheita SQ, recebendo na primeira colheita o total dos resíduos marcados produzidos no T1; e (T3) 15N-SA e colheita CQ. Anualmente, na época da colheita, a planta foi dividida em colmos, ponteiros e palhada; o solo (<2000µm) foi amostrado nas camadas de 0-15, 15-30 e 30-50cm, e foram determinadas as frações granulométricas correspondentes a tamanho de partícula 200-2000µm (Fl, fração orgânica leve e Fp, fração mineral pesada), 53-200µm (Fom, fração organo-mineral) e <53µm (Fsa, fração silte-argila). As variáveis determinadas foram produtividade de colmos (Mg.ha-1); nitrogênio total (Nt, kg.ha-1), nitrogênio derivado do fertilizante (QNddF, kg.ha-1) e nitrogênio derivado dos resíduos (QNddR, kg.ha-1) em solo e planta; e carbono total no solo (C, Mg.ha-1). Em todos os anos, observou-se maior produtividade (p<0,05) e maior absorção de nitrogênio (p<0,05) no tratamento CQ em relação ao SQ. Considerando a quantidade de resíduos que permaneceu no sistema e seu conteúdo de Nt, o potencial estimado de reciclagem de N no sistema SQ foi de 65% do Nt contido na parte aérea da cultura. O potencial de perda de Nt foi estimado em 85% do nitrogênio da parte aérea no sistema CQ. Na colheita da cana-planta, a recuperação do QNddF no sistema solo-planta foi de 46,9kg.ha-1, sendo que 63,0% foi medido na parte aérea. Nos anos seguintes, observou-se uma diminuição exponencial do NddF recuperado na parte aérea da planta. No sistema SQ, o NddF recuperado no sistema solo-planta no segundo ano foi significativamente superior (p<0,05) que no sistema CQ. Aproximadamente 95% do NddR ficou imobilizado no solo, permanecendo no sistema no final da colheita da quarta cana-soca. Os conteúdos de carbono e nitrogênio nas frações do solo apresentaram valores crescentes na seguinte ordem: Fsa>Fom>Fl. A Fsa continha mais de 70% do C e do Nt do solo. O sistema de manejo dos resíduos não influenciou o conteúdo de carbono do solo, nem sua distribuição nas frações granulométricas. Na avaliação da colheita da última cana-soca (2002), o sistema SQ apresentou valores de Nt superiores (p<0,05%) em Fl e Fom na camada 0-15cm, e em Fom na camada 30-50cm. Os conteúdos de NddF e NddR nas frações do solo aumentaram na ordem Fsa>Fom>Fl. No sistema SQ, na colheita da primeira cana-soca em 1999, a ordem no conteúdo de NddF foi Fl>Fom>Fsa. No mesmo ano, a ordem no conteúdo de NddR foi Fl>Fsa>Fom. O enriquecimento em 15N dos resíduos gerados durante o ciclo da cana-planta explica os maiores conteúdos de 15N em Fl. / To evaluate during five years the effects of two trash management systems in a sugarcane crop, the traditional harvest system with trash burning before harvest (CQ) and an alternative system without trash burning (SQ), on stalk yield and nitrogen nutrition of the crop, and on the distribution in the soil-plant system of the nitrogen introduced by fertilizer and trash, an experiment was carried out in Piracicaba, SP, Brazil, with the following treatments fertilized at planting with 63kg.ha-1 of N: (T1) 15N-labeled ammonium sulfate (AS), harvested with SQ system, and after the first harvest received all the unlabeled trash from T2; (T2) unlabeled AS, harvested with the SQ system, and after the first harvest received all the 15N-labeled trash from T1; and (T3) 15N-AS, and harvested with the CQ system. Annually, at harvest, plants were divided in stalks, tips and residues; and the soil (<2000µm) was sampled in the 0-15, 15-30 and 30-50cm layers, and physically fractionated in particle sizes of 200-2000µm (Fl, light organic fraction, and Fp, heavy mineral fraction), 53-200µm (Fom, organomineral fraction) and <53µm (Fsa, silt-clay fraction). The evaluated variables were: stalk yield (Mg.ha-1); total nitrogen (Nt, kg.ha-1), nitrogen derived from fertilizer (NddF, kg.ha-1), and nitrogen derived from residues (NddR, kg.ha-1) in soil and plant; and total carbon in soil (C, Mg.ha-1). During all years, stalk yield and uptake nitrogen were higher (p<0.05) in the CQ than in the SQ system. Considering the quantity of residues that remained in the system and their Nt content, the estimated potential of N recycling for the system SQ was 65% of the Nt contained in the aboveground parts of the crop. For the CQ harvest system, the potential loss of N was estimated as 85% of N in the aboveground parts of the crop. In the cane-plant harvest, the recovery of NddF in the soil-plant system was of 46,9kg.ha-1 (63,0% were found in the aboveground part of the crop). In the following years, an exponential decrease of NddF recovered in the aboveground part of the plant was observed. In the SQ harvest system, the NddF recovered in the soil-plant system in the second year (first ratoon cane) was significantly higher (p<0.05) than in the CQ system. Approximately, 95% of NddR were immobilized in the soil, remaining in the system at the end of the crop of the fourth ratoon cane, four years after that it have been added. The contents of total carbon and nitrogen in the soil fractions presented growing values in the following order: Fsa>Fom>Fl. The fraction Fsa contained more than 70% of the total C and total N of the soil. The harvest system did not influence the soil carbon content neither his distribution in the fractions. At the fourth ratoon cane (2002), the SQ system presented values of Nt higher (p<0.05%) in Fl and Fom in the 0-15cm layer, and in Fom in the 30-50cm layer. The 15N-residues from the first crop cycle explain the higher content of 15N in Fl.

Ce travail porte sur le comportement du Ra au sein d’un écosystème forestier (Montiers, Meuse). Il s’appuie sur la mesure de plusieurs traceurs isotopiques (déséquilibres radioactifs, rapports 228Ra/226Ra et 87Sr/86Sr) dans les différents compartiments du système eau-sol-plante. Les objectifs étaient : 1) d’étudier la mobilité du Ra et ses ascendants radioactifs entre les fractions minérales séparées d’un profil de sol, 2) d’évaluer le transfert du Ra vers les compartiments eau-plante de l’écosystème, 3) de caractériser le transfert du Ra et son temps de résidence dans la végétation, 4) de réaliser le bilan du cycle biogéochimique du Ra. Ce travail montre une forte redistribution de U, Th et Ra en fonction de leurs affinités respectives avec les différentes fractions minérales du sol. Bien que le Ra soit très fortement associé à la fraction fine (< 2µm) du sol, la végétation (hêtres) semble prélever le Ra des oxydes de fer du sol. Le transfert ultérieur de ce nucléide depuis les racines vers les parties aériennes de l’arbre est moins important que celui des autres alcalino-terreux, aboutissant à un temps de résidence dans la végétation de l’ordre de quelques années (2.6 ± 1.6 ans). Enfin, le cycle biogéochimique du Ra est caractérisé par un flux de dégradation de la litière souterraine plus important que celui lié à la litière de surface, par un apport atmosphérique en Ra négligeable et par un flux d'altération très important, ce dernier ne transitant pas par les solutions de sols gravitaires. Le Ra présent dans ces dernières provient presque exclusivement de la dégradation de la litière. / This work investigates the behaviour of Ra within a forest ecosystem (Montiers, Meuse). It is based on the quantification of several isotopic tracers (U- and Th- series disequilibria, isotopic ratios of 228Ra/226Ra and 87Sr/86Sr) in the different compartments of the water-soil-plant system. The research goals were : 1) to study the mobility of Ra and its radioactive ascendants in the separated mineral fractions of a soil profile, 2) to evaluate the transfer of Ra to the water-plant system, 3) to characterise the transfer of Ra and its residence time onto the vegetation, 4) to realise an account of the biogeochemical cycle of Ra. This work shows a strong redistribution of U, Th and Ra depending on their respective affinities with the different mineral fractions of the soil. Despite being predominantly concentrated in the clay fraction (<2 µm) of the soil, our findings indicate that trees (beeches) mostly extract Ra from the soil’s iron oxides. The subsequent transfer of this nuclide from the roots to the foliage is lesser than that of other alkaline-earth metals, leading to a vegetal residence time on the order of a few years (2.6 ± 1.6 years). Finally, the biogeochemical cycle of Ra is characterised by the degradation flux of fine-roots rather than that of leaves, by a negligible atmospheric input and by a strong weathering rate. Ra presents in the latter originates almost uniquely from litter degradation and does not pass through gravitational soil solutions.

The main objective of this study is to develop a modeling methodology that facilitates incorporating the plant pathway into environmental contamination models recognizing the fact that plants are dynamic entities that regulate their life cycle according to natural and anthropogenic environmental conditions. A modeling framework that incorporates the plant pathway into an integrated water flow and contaminant transport model in terrestrial systems is developed. The modeling framework is aimed to provide a tool to analyze the plant pathway of exposure to contaminants. The model developed using this framework describes the temporal and spatial variation of the contaminant concentration within the plant as it is interacting with the soil and the atmosphere. The first part of the study focuses on the integration of the dynamics of water and contaminant distribution and plant related processes within the vadose zone. A soil-plant system model is developed by coupling soil-water flow, contaminant transport, plant life-cycle, and plant pathway models. The outcome unifies single media continuous models with multimedia compartmental models in a flexible framework. The coupling of the models was established at multiple interfaces and at different levels of solution steps (i.e. model development phase vs. numerical solution phase). In the second part of the study, the soil-plant system model is extended to cover large spatial areas by describing the environmental system as a collection of soil-plant systems connected through overland flow and transport processes on the ground surface and through lateral interactions in the subsurface. An overland flow model is integrated with the previously coupled model of unsaturated zone soil-water flow and plant life-cycle by solving the flow model equations simultaneously within a single global matrix structure. An overland / subsurface interaction algorithm is developed to handle the ground surface conditions. The simultaneous solution, single-matrix approach is also adopted when integrating the overland transport model with the previously coupled models of vadose zone transport and plant pathway. The model developed is applied to various environmental contamination scenarios where the effect of the presence of plants on the contaminant migration within environmental systems is investigated.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Exchanges of water in the soil-plant-atmosphere are controlled by physical-hydric soils, which in turn are highly variable in space and very sensitive to the use and soil management, especially in an agroecosystem. Precipitation, runoff, soil water storage and exchange of water vapor between the surface-atmosphere obtained from the eddy covariance and hydro-physical properties of soil were analyzed during the growing season (2009/2010) for no-till systems (NT) and conventional tillage (PC) in the cycle of soybean, in Cruz Alta, northwest of Rio Grande do Sul (RS). Most models that describe the interaction biosphere - atmosphere in agroecosystems has not efficiently represent physical differences for different soil management. In this sense, the study also will examine the response of the dynamic exchanges of water in the Agro-IBIS model when the soil physical properties in a system of management of PD (without revolution planting soil) and PC (with planting soil Revolution) are implemented. For this purpose, are used to soil properties of a long-term experiment in southern Brazil 2009/2010. Moreover, mathematical adjustments in leaf area index (LAI) is suggested to better represent the stage of leaf senescence. The results of the dynamics of soil water and evapotranspiration in the Agro-IBIS model for soybeans, when the implementation of soil properties and setting the IAF are compared with experimental data and with a simulation in which the soil property are described through the global database. The model represents satisfactorily the dynamics of soil water and evapotranspiration for both management systems, especially for wet periods. The results presented for the conventional management system are best correlated with the simulations, when the physical properties of this system are implemented and leaf senescence is corrected. Of the major changes that have been added, such as setting physical properties of soil, definition of the retention curve coefficients, and phenology of the crop, the main one was the consideration of a new factor of decline in leaf area index during senescence which greatly reduced the error in water balance components of the surface of soybean. / As trocas de água no sistema solo-planta-atmosfera são controladas pelas características físico-hídricas dos solos, que por sua vez são altamente variáveis no espaço e muito sensíveis ao uso e manejo do solo, principalmente em um agroecossistema. Precipitação, escoamento, armazenamento de água do solo e trocas de vapor de água entre superfície-atmosfera obtido a partir da covariância turbulenta e propriedades físico-hídricas do solo foram analisados durante a estação de cultivo (2009/2010) para os sistemas de plantio direto (PD) e plantio convencional (PC) no ciclo da cultura da soja, no município de Cruz Alta, região noroeste do Rio Grande do Sul (RS). A maioria dos modelos que descrevem a interação biosfera - atmosfera em agroecossistemas ainda não representam de forma eficiente às diferenças físicas para diferentes manejos do solo. Neste sentido, o estudo, também analisará a resposta da dinâmica das trocas de água no modelo Agro-IBIS quando as propriedades físicas do solo em um sistema de manejo de PD (plantio sem revolução do solo) e PC (plantio com revolução do solo) são implementadas. Para tanto, são usados às propriedades do solo de um experimento de longo prazo no sul do Brasil 2009/2010. Além disso, ajustes matemáticos no índice de área foliar (IAF) são sugeridos para melhor representar o estágio de senescência foliar. Os resultados da dinâmica da água no solo e evapotranspiração no modelo Agro-IBIS para a soja, quando da implementação das propriedades do solo e do ajuste no IAF são comparados com os dados experimentais e com uma simulação em que as propriedade do solo são descritas através do banco de dados globais. O modelo representa satisfatoriamente a dinâmica da água no solo e evapotranspiração para ambos os sistemas de manejo, especialmente para períodos úmidos. Os resultados apresentados para o sistema de manejo convencional estão melhores correlacionados com as simulações, quando as propriedades físicas deste sistema são implementadas e a senescência foliar é corrigida. Das principais mudanças que foram adicionadas, tais como o ajuste de propriedades físicas do solo, definição de coeficientes da curva de retenção, e fenologia da cultura, a principal foi à consideração de um novo fator de declínio do índice de área foliar na fase de senescência que reduziu sobremaneira o erro nas componentes do balanço de água da superfície de soja.