ABSTRACT
A compacted subsurface soil layer can be a limiting factor for soybean growing, reducing soybean yield. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different tillage systems on the physical properties of two Albaqualf soils of the Central Plains region in the state of Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil. Two experiments were conducted: one in Santa Maria, RS, during the 2013/14 and 2014/15 crop seasons, and another in Formigueiro, RS, during the 2013/14 crop season. A randomized block experimental design with four replications was used. The treatments were: sowing using an offset double disc (T1); sowing using a fluted coulter disc (wavy disc with 12 waves) (T2); sowing with a knife runner opener (T3); sowing with a knife runner opener + press wheel mechanism for ground levelling (T4); sowing using a furrow opener upon a raised bed (T5); and chisel plough + sowing using an offset double-disc (T6). In the 2014/15 growing season, the T4 factor was changed using a knife runner opener 0.05 m from the planting row. A smaller reduction in the compacted subsurface soil layer was observed for both T1 and T2, which exhibited high soil bulk density values for the 2013/14 and 2014/15 crop seasons. Furthermore, T3, T5 and T6 led to a reduction in bulk density, and increasing total porosity and macroporosity in the soil, which consequently increased water infiltration, water storage capacity, and crop yield in areas with the presence of a compacted subsurface soil layer.
compacted layer; deep tillage; raised bed; planter mechanism
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