Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
9642684 | Soil and Tillage Research | 2005 | 9 Pages |
Abstract
The volumetric ring and the computerized tomography (CT) techniques were applied to study soil bulk density, in order to understand the compaction of an Albaqualf soil (Planosol) of the Rio Grande do Sul State, Southern Brazil (latitude 31°52â²00â³S and Longitude 52°21â²24â³W). Among six different tillage systems and crop rotations the greatest soil bulk density was measured for the continuous irrigated rice crop system and the lowest for the no-tillage treatment under rye grass straw. The CT method enabled the measurement of bulk density variations in the soil profile and indicated critical zones not observed by the volumetric ring method that measures only the mean sample soil bulk densities. A meaningful correlation between soil bulk densities measured by both methods was found, although the CT method presented more reliable results in comparison to the volumetric ring method. A 3% variation in bulk density was observed due to method intrinsic errors, probably also correlated to different samples sizes.
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Authors
Alceu Pedrotti, Eloy Antonio Pauletto, Silvio Crestana, Francisco Sandro Rodrigues Holanda, Paulo Estevão Cruvinel, Carlos Manoel Pedro Vaz,