Soil compacting: causes and effects

Abstract

The agricultural soils have been suffering great commotions and the compacting is pointed as the main cause of these changes due to the tractors and agricultural machines traffic in inadequate conditions of management. The present review had as purpose to discuss the causes and the effects of the compacting on the physic properties of the soil, considering the management. The extension and the intensity of the soil compacting will depend on the pression exerced by the help points from machines and equipments, their weight, the number of times that they traffic on the land, the texture and the aggregation of the soil. The changes that can happen in the physics properties of the soil vary since the increase in the soil bulk density, the increase of the soil resistance to the penetration of the roots, reduction of the macroporosity, consequently, less conductivity and less accumulate water, damaging the water infiltration and the penetration of the roots in the soil profile, that become more susceptible to erosion. With the adaptation of some management techniques from the farmers, the effects of soil compacting on its physics properties can be minimized, improving the development of the system of crop roots.