Soil Pore Architecture and Hydraulic Functioning of Native Forest and Sugarcane Systems with and Without Cover Crop Intercropping Revealed by X-Ray Computed Tomography

Soil pore architecture and hydraulic functioning strongly regulate water flow and retention. However, despite the growing application of X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT) in soil science, its application in characterizing the pore system and hydraulic functioning of native forest soils converted to sugarcane production systems in northeast Brazil is still poorly known. This study therefore quantified the soil structure, pore system, and hydraulic functioning of a native forest (NF) and an adjacent sugarcane field receiving vinasse and managed without intercropping (sole sugarcane (SG)) and with Brachiaria ruziziensis intercropping (SG + Bra intercrop) in northeastern Brazil, using conventional soil physical measurements and X-ray CT, in three soil layers (0–10, 10–20, and 20–40 cm). Soil physical and hydraulic properties, as well as soil water retention, were quantified. The native forest soil exhibited a uniformly sandy texture across all depths, whereas sugarcane systems ranged from loam to sandy textures in surface layers due to long-term management. Soil organic matter and total nitrogen in the 0–10 cm layer were approximately 75 and 65% higher, respectively, in sole Sole SG and SG + Bra intercrop than in NF. Soil bulk density increased with depth under sugarcane, reaching values about 10%–13% higher than NF in the 20–40 cm layer. Saturated hydraulic conductivity in the surface layer was higher in the NF, approximately five to nine times greater than in sole SG and SG + Bra intercrop, respectively. Conventional water retention analysis showed that sole SG and SG + Bra intercrop had greater total porosity (0.49–0.55 m3 m−3), microporosity (0.26–0.36 m3 m−3), field capacity (0.19–0.33 m3 m−3), and plant available water (0.09–0.15 m3 m−3) in the upper 20 cm compared with the NF (≤0.10 m3 m−3 available water). In contrast, X-ray CT revealed higher macroporosity (0.20–0.23 mm3 mm−3) and pore connectivity in the NF across all depths, with predominantly complex, inclined to near-horizontal pores and low anisotropy. Intercropping sugarcane with Brachiaria did not significantly alter (p > 0.05) bulk density, hydraulic conductivity, or CT-derived pore connectivity relative to sole sugarcane. The degree of anisotropy and fractal dimension derived from X-ray CT were significantly correlated (p < 0.05) with conventionally measured hydraulic properties. The X-ray computed tomography proved effective in linking pore-scale architecture to soil hydraulic functioning, providing insights beyond conventional measurements. The short-term inclusion of Brachiaria as a cover crop at 10 kg seed ha−1 did not result in significant improvements in soil pore structure, indicating that longer-term adoption and/or higher planting densities may be required to induce measurable changes in pore system architecture and soil hydraulic functioning.