Measurement of soil resistance by using a horizontal penetrometer working with the two-argument comparative method
¹Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Transport and Handling, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, 949 76 Nitra, Slovak Republic 2Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Machines and Production Systems, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, 94976 Nitra, Slovak Republic; *Correspondent author: tomasko.sima@gmail.com
Abstract:
Currently, the interest in land is high and is increased by in relation to the increasing need for livelihood of the population. Therefore, the need for land use to increase its potential production while ensuring a sustained recovery of agricultural systems still exists. The aim of this publication is to test the measurement of the soil resistance impact at different levels of humidity using a newly designed type of a measuring device – a horizontal penetrometer. The measurements were carried out under field conditions by average soil moisture of 8.47% and 14.24%, on the basis of the two parameters comparative method by using a horizontal penetrometer. The proposed measuring device measured the soil resistance in the tire track and outside of the track after five passages of the tractor. Measuring and recording devices to capture the measured values were also designed. From the results, we can indicate that the soil resistance after each passage increases and we also observed that after the first passage, the soil resistance increased by about 48.1% compared to the initial soil resistance. The average soil bulk density corresponds proportionally with the soil resistance increases in both the absolute and relative terms, depending on the number of tractor passages. It is possible to conclude that the newly designed measuring device is working properly and can be used for all types of tractors equipped with a three-point hitch with the tire tread width of 1,000–2,000 mm. The measurement results will be utilized in mapping of the actual conditions of soil environment.
Key words:
bulk resistance., soil compaction, soil resistance measurement