Qualidade estrutural de latossolo vermelho distroférrico submetido à escarificação em área de colheita mecanizada de cana-de-açúcar

Abstract

Mechanized harvesting of sugar cane has been increasingly used in the units producing cane sugar. However, the use of this new system has reduced crop quality because of the structural problem of soil compaction caused by heavy traffic machines. To circumvent this problem scarification of brass knuckles has often been used to minimize the effects of compaction on soil physical quality. However, despite routine activity areas producing cane sugar, little is known about the real benefit of scarification of brass knuckles in improving the physical quality of the soil and its benefits to the stumps. This study aimed to evaluate the changes in soil physical properties, in limiting water range and compressibility of an Oxisol cultivated with sugar cane and subjected to scarification with different depths of equipment and operation. The study was conducted in a commercial area of Monte Verde plant belonging to the group Bunge, in the city of Ponta Porã, MS, during the growing season 2011/2012.O experimental design was a randomized block with five replicates, and treatments were five managements scarification of brass knuckles: T1: Simple ripper shank to 0.15 m depth, T2: ripper shank simple to 0.30 m depth; T3: ripper dual action at 0.15 m depth; T4: double action chisel to 0 , 30 m depth; T5: Control without scarification. Scarification canopy of ratoon cane sugar did not change the aggregate stability, porosity and bulk density. Regarding resistance to the grower double penetration action at 0.30 m depth was more effective in reducing the resistance to penetration. The soil scarification proved effective in improving the physical quality by increasing the availability of water in the layer 0-0.15 m layer, which was not observed for the layer 0.15-0.30 m which suffered little influence of the treatments. Similar results were obtained for the compressibility of the soil, once the scarification in lower load bearing capacity of the soil scarified areas in the layer 0 to 0.15 m depth, with the double acting working cultivator 0, 30 mo who promoted the lowest values. For the layer of 0.15-0.30 m little effect of the treatments was observed for the compressibility of the soil.