Portable penetrometer for agricultural soil: sensitivity test to identify critical compaction depth

• Main Authors: João Carlos Medeiros, Getulio Coutinho Figueiredo, Álvaro Luiz Mafra
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Ciência do Solo 2010-12-01
• Series: Revista Brasileira de Ciência do Solo
• Subjects: dinamômetro de mola; resistência à penetração
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0100-06832010000600006&lng=en&tlng=en

To express the negative effects of soil compaction, some researchers use critical values for soil mechanical strength that severely impair plant growth. The aim of this study was to identify this critical compaction depth, to test the functionality of a new, portable penetrometer developed from a spring dynamometer, and compare it to an electronic penetrometer traditionally used in compaction studies of agricultural soils. Three soils with distinct texture were conventionally tilled using a disk plow, and cultivated with different plant species. The critical soil resistance defined to establish critical compaction depth was equal to 1.5 MPa. The results of the new equipment were similar to the electronic penetrometer, indicating its viability as a tool for assessing the soil physical conditions for plant growth.