Assessing the immediate and residual effects of chiseling for ameliorating soil compaction under long-term no-tillage

Soil compaction can be detrimental to plant growth and production, and can threaten the long-term sustainability of no-tillage systems. Chisel plowing is one of the alternatives for ameliorating soil compaction. The objective of this research was to evaluate chiseling for compaction amelioration of a Typic Hapludox under long-term no-tillage system. To achieve this objective, a soil resistance to penetration 2D transect was measured in two adjacent plots in a kaolinitic-oxidic oxisol. Half of the area was a long-term no-tillage system, while the other half was the same no-tillage system with the addition of one chisel plowing operation. The evaluations were performed after chiseling in 2009 and a year after the operation, in 2010. The chisel plow was effective in reducing soil compaction to the depth of 0.40 m (1.312 ft). The frequency of soil resistance to penetration values between 2,000 and 4,000 kPa (290.075 and 580.150 psi) was greater for the no-tillage system when compared to the chisel plow. The no-tillage plot had 70% of the soil resistance values between 2,000 and 4,000 kPa (290.075 and 580.150 psi), while the chisel plow plot had 57.3% of the soil resistance values below 2,000 kPa (290.075 psi). Logistic regression was effective in generating probability map of susceptibility to compaction for the soil layer under evaluation.