The continuous and inadequate machine traffic and, or, the use of tillage tools on agricultural areas of the Cerrado region have been changing the soil physical and mechanical properties. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the influence of the rear wheel and the sill on the compressibility of a dystrophic Red Latosol, caused by agricultural tillage tools usually used in the Cerrado region. This study was carried out in plots tillage with disk plow, moldboard plow, heavy disk harrow and seeders, that since November of 1994 to the sampling date, November of 1999, they were under no-till system. The changes in the soil compressibility were assessed through the preconsolidation pressures, as well as, with some physical and hydric properties (Bulk density, porosity, saturated hydraulic conductivity), during tillage process and after harvest. During tillage operations, just after the rear wheel pass and before the implement mobilized the soil, the soil was evaluated in the surface (SP-0.00 to 0.05 m) and in the medium work depth (PMT - 0.24 to 0.27 m). The influence of the implements sill was evaluated just after the cut, in the work depth below the sill of each implement (PT-SI). After the harvest, the samplings were repeated, to verify the influence of the subsequent traffics. Traffic intensity and the implements sills altered the soil compressibility, the bulk density, the porosity and the saturated hydraulic conductivity of the dystrophic Red Latosol in the surface depths (SP), medium work depth (PMT) and cutting depth of the implements (PT-SI). In general, the rear wheel pass increased the preconsolidation pressure (sigmap) in the soil surface (SP), while the subsequent traffic, necessary to the cultivation, increase those values in subsurface, in PMT and in PT-SI depths. The wheels pass increase and reduced the bulk density (Ds) and the macro porosity, respectively, and the moldboard plow was the implement that caused more impact in those properties. The sills of the active organs of the disk plow and disk harrow were the ones that more increased the preconsolidation pressure (sigmap), compacting the soil at PT-SI depth. Except the seeders/fertilizer, the sill of the active organs of the other appraised implements reduced the saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) significantly in the PT-SI depth, and the moldboard plow was the implement that caused more soil impact, following by the disk harrow and the disk plow.
soil compaction; compressibility; management system; trafegability
