Recent studies have shown harmful effects of soil compaction in no-tillage system (NTS), but there are indications that soil structure improves with time of NTS adoption. We formulated the hypothesis that topsoils of NTS initially have worse soil physical conditions than those under conventional systems, but these conditions gradually improve with time also down to deeper depth, even when the soil is wheeled by farm machinery. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of a long-term no-tillage system and machine traffic on soil mechanical and hydraulic properties. The treatments and soil conditions consisted of five periods since the last conventional tillage (or age of NTS) in a Hapludox: 0.2, 1.5, 3.5, 5 and 14 years, with and without traffic; named recent tillage, and initial, intermediate, transition and stabilized NTS phases. Soil samples were collected from soil layers 0-7, 7-14 and 14-21 cm depth to determine soil porosity, precompression stress, compressibility coefficient, saturated hydraulic conductivity, air permeability, water retention curve, bulk density and organic carbon. Conventional tillage of soil previously under notillage significantly affected soil capacity properties, resulting in high macroporosity and deformation susceptibility, low bulk density and precompression stress. Intensity properties were affected initially by an increased soil pore obstruction, negatively affecting air permeability and saturated hydraulic conductivity, from 0 to 21 cm soil depth. However, after five years of no-tillage there was an increase in microporosity and, although small, in soil organic carbon, especially in the 0-7 cm soil layer; thus, soil water retention and soil intensity properties (like soil water and air permeability) were also improved, regardless of farm machinery traffic. Over time, soil reconsolidation occurred, which resulted in reduction of the compressibility coefficient and degree of compactness, mainly in the upper layers (0-7 and 7-14 cm). However, in the deepest layer with the least disturbance, the degree-of-compactness and bulk density increased. The evolution of physical properties and processes (from recent tillage to stabilized NTS phase) for no-tilled soil is proposed for controlled and uncontrolled traffic systems as a framework based on field data for capacity and intensity soil properties. The process of creating aggregates is represented, at first, by an increased number of contact points before they are re-loosened and strengthened at the same time by a rearrangement of particles, reducing aggregate bulk density but increasing soil strength at the same time. The framework is divided into 4 phases: initial (1.5 years), intermediary (3.5 years), transitional (5 years), and stabilized (14 years) conditions. 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Resumo -O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito da compactação nos atributos físico-hídricos do solo e na demanda energética da haste escarificadora, além de avaliar as propriedades físico-hídricas abaixo da profundidade de trabalho da haste. O trabalho foi conduzido em Argissolo Vermelho-Amarelo de textura francoarenosa, com os seguintes tratamentos: plantio direto por 13 anos; plantio direto por 13 anos em solo escarificado; plantio direto em solo com compactação adicional; e plantio direto em solo com compactação adicional escarificado. A compactação, ao longo da profundidade escarificada, foi verificada por meio dos dados de esforço de tração associados à haste escarificadora, obtidos com auxílio de um anel octogonal ligado a um módulo de aquisição de dados. Foram determinados densidade, porosidade total, macroporosidade, microporosidade, condutividade hidráulica saturada e resistência mecânica do solo à penetração. A compactação elevou a densidade e a resistência mecânica à penetração do solo, reduziu a porosidade total e a macroporosidade, porém sem causar efeitos significativos na microporosidade. A compactação aumentou a demanda energética da haste escarificadora em 21,64%, o que elevou os valores médios de esforço de tração de 5,33 para 6,35 kN. A escarificação não elevou o estado de compactação do solo abaixo da profundidade de trabalho da haste escarificadora, em solo francoarenoso.Termos para indexação: condutividade hidráulica, esforço de tração, resistência à penetração, plantio direto. Soil physicohydric properties and chisel energy demand in a compacted AlfisolAbstract -The objective of this work was to evaluate the soil compaction effect on its physicohydric properties and on chisel energy demand, as well as to quantify the behavior of these properties below the chisel working depth. The experiment was carried out in a sandy loam Alfisol, with the following treatments: no-tillage for 13 years; no-tillage for 13 years and chiseling; no-tillage with additional compaction; and no-tillage with additional compaction and chiseling. Compaction along the chiseling depth was verified through data of traction effort associated to the chisel, obtained with the aid of an octagonal ring linked to a data acquisition module. Soil bulk density, total porosity, macroporosity, microporosity, hydraulic conductivity and soil resistance to mechanical penetration were also determined. Soil compaction increased both soil bulk density and resistance to mechanical penetration, reducing the total porosity and the macroporosity, without causing significant effects in microporosity. The compaction increased chisel energy demand in 21.64%, increasing the mean value of traction effort from 5.33 kN to 6.35 kN. Soil chiseling did not increase soil compaction status below the chisel working depth in the sandy loam Alfisol.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito da intensidade de tráfego e do sistema de manejo na demandade tração de umahaste sulcadora deadubo,e naspropriedadesfísicas de umArgissoloVermelho-Amarelo. Os tratamentos foram: semeadura direta com tráfego natural, semeadura direta com tráfego adicional de intensidade de 24,79 Mg km ha-1, semeadura direta com tráfego adicional de intensidade de 49,59 Mg km ha-1, cultivo mínimo e cultivo mínimo em solo compactado com tráfego de 24,67 Mg km ha-1. Foram coletados dados de: porosidade total; densidade do solo; resistência mecânica do solo à penetração; e de esforço horizontal, vertical e de tração da haste sulcadora de adubo da semeadora. A subsolagem do cultivo mínimo, utilizada como técnica isolada, não reduziu os efeitos da compactação ocasionados pela intensidade de tráfego de 24,67 Mg km ha-1. O tráfego afeta a estrutura do solo, sem alterar, porém, a demanda de tração. A mudança da intensidade de tráfego, de 24,79 para 49,59 Mg km ha-1, não ocasionou maiores alterações nas propriedades avaliadas.

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Traffic on arable land is one of the main causes of soil compaction, threatening soil function and quality. The objective of this study was to evaluate tillage and wheeling effects on mechanical properties on Hapludalf soil. We evaluated four combinations of management system and wheeling traffic: 13 years of no-tillage (NT), NT compacted with additional wheeling (NTc), minimum tillage (chiselling) soil (MT), and MT compacted with additional wheeling (MTc). Soil bulk density (Bd), macroporosity (Mp), precompression stress (σp), compressibility coefficient (Cc), and relative deformation were determined in four soil layers. Soil with greater Bd had higher σp and lower Mp and Cc, where statistical significance varied depending on soil depth, tillage, and additional compaction. Soil tillage did not affect Bd, but Mp was lowest in the no-till pan layer (0.05–0.15 m), and additional compaction decreased Mp in deeper layers. Long-term NT had greater σp and Cc than MT soil, while wheeling increased σp and decreased Cc in MT, only in the upper layer. Four wheelings with 1.1 Mg wheel load on no-tillage soil and two wheelings with 3.2 Mg wheel load on chiselled-soil decreased Mp in deeper (down to 0.25–0.35 m) layers, but only high load increased σp and decreased Cc in upper layers of chiselled-soil. Surface compaction in conservation agriculture is a major issue, since soil mobilisation by soil tillage should be avoided.