The reclaimation of physically degraded soils has been done using conservationist systems. However, improvement of soil structure makes then very susceptible to intense deformation when bearing compression through mechanization. The compressibility of a Acrisol, physically degraded and reclaimed, collected in the Agricultural Experimental Station of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, in Eldorado do Sul, RS, in two moisture levels, was evaluated with uniaxial compression tests. The soil compression curve, porosity, soil density and resistance to penetration were determined. The physically reclaimed soil samples were more compressible, noteably at higher moisture levels. After applying stresses from 25 to 500 kPa, the reclaimed samples were very similar to the degraded ones. The low resistance to compression showed by the physically reclaimed soil makes evident the difficulty in making compatible the management of conservationist and upgrading structure systems with agricultural mechanization as practiced today. This also strengthens the necessity in finding alternatives to reduce stresses on soils or to make them able to offer higher resistance to compression.
soil compressibility; porosity; soil density; compression strenght
