Load support capacity of an Oxisol cultivated with sugarcane and mechanization effects on the soil

Abstract

The objective of this work was to determine the load support capacity (LSC) of an Oxisol and, through compressibility models, relate it to wheel‑soil interactions under management systems with one and three sugarcane crop cycles, with mechanized harvest. LSC evaluations were carried out on undisturbed soil samples, collected at planting row and bed, in four layers: 0.00–0.10, 0.10–0.20, 0.20–0.30, and 0.30–0.40 m. The contact area between wheels and soil was determined in order to estimate the contact pressure by agricultural machinery on the soil. Pre‑consolidation pressures were used to determine LSC. The system with three cycles showed higher LSC than the system with only one cycle. The load support capacity of the soil evaluated in the range of friability is greater than the contact pressures applied to the soil by the wheels of the studied agricultural machines.