Traffic of agriculture machinery in oil palm cultivation: implications for physical soil quality

• Autor(a) principal: Rodrigues, Sueli
• Data de Publicação: 2019
• Outros Autores: Ferreira, Raphael Leone da Cruz, Sato, Michel Keisuke, Lima, Herdjania Veras de, Teixeira, Orivan Maria Marques
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Revista de Ciências Agrárias (Belém. Online)
• Texto Completo: https://ajaes.ufra.edu.br/index.php/ajaes/article/view/2979
• topic: Elaeis guineensis Jacq; Soil penetration resistance; Proctor test; Degree of compaction; Mechanized operations; oil palm; soil compaction; Elaeis guineensis Jacq.; Resistência do solo à penetração; Teste de Proctor; Grau de compactação; Operações mecanizadas; Palma de óleo; compactação do solo

Although oil palm is cultivated on a large scale and in different soil types in the state of Pará, changes in the soil’s physical properties in these areas have not been evaluated. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the physical quality of a Yellow Latosol cultivated with oil palm, 30 years after implantation. Soil samples with disturbed and undisturbed structure were collected at 0-20 and 20-40 cm depths, in the machinery traffic zone. The degree of compaction (DC) was calculated from the maximum soil bulk density obtained by the Proctor test, and soil penetration resistance (PR) was determined in soil samples equilibrated in ten matric potentials. Temporal changes in soil moisture in PR were also evaluated. Both parameters showed that the evaluated area has an indication of compaction. The DC in both depths was above 90% and was more severe in the 0-20 cm layer. However, when evaluated by PR, the compaction was more evident in the 20-40 cm layer, and variations in soil moisture over a year showed that in the drier months, the soil showed high values of PR in this layer. Thus, this study indicates that the growth and development of oil palm may be restricted by the soil’s compaction and mainly by the high penetration resistance in the months of reduced water availability.