Soil resistance to penetration nunder sugarcane reform ages

Abstract

The sugarcane reform is an critical step of the crop management since the sugarcane longevity depends on several factors such as: productivity, the type of harvest, varieties, soil and water management and climate. The objective of this study was to determine the resistance to penetration (RP) of an Oxisol under sugarcane reform ages. It was evaluated two areas with sugarcane crop, one with fifteen years (A1) and the other with two years (A2) of sugarcane reform. Samples were taken in the crop line at 0.00-0.10; 0.10-0.20; 0.20-0.30; 0.30-0.40; 0.40-0.50 e 0.50-0.60 m soil depths to determine RP and water content. The area with fifteen years of sugarcane reform showed the highest values of RP ​​up to 0.30 m soil depth. On the other hand, the area with two years of sugarcane reform showed higher values ​​of RP from 0.40-0.60 m soil depths, explained by the recent management in the area that overloaded the layers bellow. At 0.30-0.40 m soil depth, the mean values of RP did not differ between the areas. Spatial analysis allowed to indicate that 0.10-0.20 m soil depth it is the more critical in relation to RP in A1. The A2 presented predominance of RP classified as high and media at 0.20 to 0.50 m soil depths, especially in the lower left part of the area when the values of RP overtaken 2 MPa. The long-term sugarcane cultivation presented highest soil compaction at surface layer, while newly reformed sugarcane showed highest soil compaction at deeper layers.