Abstract
Abstract: The objective of this work was to evaluate the impact of different furrow-opening mechanisms on soil physical characteristics, such as mobilization, porosity, bulk density, and the dynamics of water content and temperature in the sowing groove, as well as the influence of wheeled traffic and of these variables on corn (Zea mays) productivity. The experiment was conducted at the agronomic experimental station of Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul on a Argissolo Vermelho (red Ultisol). Treatments consisted of three winter cover crops and of two types of furrow-opening mechanisms for fertilization (shank and disk), with or without tractor traffic. Corn was planted as the summer crop, and soil mobilization in the sowing groove, soil temperature and moisture content during the crop cycle, and soil physical conditions, such as bulk density and porosity, were evaluated. Tractor traffic and the type of furrow-opening mechanism used did not affect significantly soil temperature and moisture content during the development of the corn crop; however, significant differences were observed in grain productivity and soil mobilization, bulk density, and porosity.
Highlights
The increasing and large-scale use of the no-tillage system has enabled the expansion of commercialscale agriculture, requiring more powerful machines, which are normally heavier, in order to obtain higher operational efficiencies and an effective field capacity
Corn was planted as the summer crop, and soil mobilization in the sowing groove, soil temperature and moisture content during the crop cycle, and soil physical conditions, such as bulk density and porosity, were evaluated
Tractor traffic and the type of furrow-opening mechanism used did not affect significantly soil temperature and moisture content during the development of the corn crop; significant differences were observed in grain productivity and soil mobilization, bulk density, and porosity
Summary
The increasing and large-scale use of the no-tillage system has enabled the expansion of commercialscale agriculture, requiring more powerful machines, which are normally heavier, in order to obtain higher operational efficiencies and an effective field capacity. This has caused, over time, physical problems in the soil, such as compaction, which reduces soil porosity (Moreira et al, 2014; Mazurana et al, 2017) and, reduces the infiltration and storage of water, affecting plant development. When compared with the outdated double-disk system, for example, the use of a seeder-fertilizer equipped with shanktype furrow openers to break and mobilize the topsoil can minimize some of the problems associated with compaction, by reducing the bulk density of the superficial 15-cm layer (Drescher et al, 2011). Nunes et al (2014) reported a reduction in the state of compaction of soil subsuperficial layers during direct sowing using a shank-type furrow opener, which only disrupted part of those layers, providing a similar effect to that produced by the superficial mechanical scarification of the soil
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