Correlation of Soil Physical Attributes With Furrowing Shank Strength and Depth in a No-Till Seeder

Abstract

Furrowing shank horizontal strength and working depth can be correlated with soil compaction in a no-till sowing. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation of furrowing shank strength and working depth with soil physical properties at two working speeds (1.58 and 1.87 m s -1 ) and four compaction levels induced by an agricultural tractor (0P, 1P, 3P, and 5P+Ballast), with four repetitions in an RBD. Thereby, we aimed to verify a potential increase in sampling density of soil compaction data. Horizontal strength at 1.58 m s -1 had Pearson correlations ranging from 0.74 to 0.73 with soil penetration resistance (SPR), and from 0.57 to 0.72 with some soil properties collected by volumetric ring. Working depth also correlated with several parameters ranging from 0.49 to 0.81. The highest correlations were verified for the speed of 1.58 m s -1 , at which shanks maintained greater depth. This increased soil contact with the shank, hence sensitivity to compaction. Our findings show that furrowing shank horizontal strength and working depth can be used to monitor soil compaction.