For rice crops, the inadequate soil management can lead to superficial and sub-superficial compaction which, by limiting root development and water retention, limits crop growth and yield. This study was aimed at evaluating the soil and water management effect on the physical properties of an Oxisol under non-flooded rice. The experiment was carried out at Selvíria (MS), in the growing season of 2003/2004, in an area which had previously been under millet crop. A randomized complete block design was used in a 3 x 3 factorial scheme, based on three different soil managements (chisel plow + levelling harrow, harrow + levelling harrow and no-tillage) and three different water managements (not irrigated; irrigated during the reproductive and ripening stages; irrigated during all the stages), with 4 replications. Macroporosity, microporosity, total porosity, soil bulk density, soil penetration resistance, soil moisture content, hydraulic conductive of the saturated soil and water infiltration were analysed. Soil tillage with chisel plow produced greater macroporosity and total porosity, and lower soil bulk density and soil penetration resistance in the 0.00 to 0.20 m layer, opposite results obtained with harrow tillage. Harrow tillage formed a compacted layer at the depth of (0.10-0.20 m). Smaller macroporosity and total porosity was found in no-tillage together with greater soil penetration resistance and soil bulk density, all in the first 0.10 m. Soil physical properties were influenced by soil management, but not influenced by water management. The soil management with chisel plow showed better results concerning the soil physical properties for the development of rice.
Oryza sativa L.; chisel plow; harrow; no-tillage; sprinkler-irrigation; compaction
