The mechanized work in the sugar sector includes from the preparation of soils for the renewal of lots to maintenance and lifting of socas, such as breaking, fertilization and harvesting.
To fulfill these tasks, different power sources are required. Through research, it has been identified that during the sugarcane harvest, high-load traffic occurs in the field that transmit normal and shear stresses and its propagation in the soil depends on the type and its humidity condition.
Cenicaña has carried out a work of evaluation of the compaction caused by the traffic of harvesting equipment in which vertical efforts have been identified as an important component of the compaction of agricultural soils. During this research, a methodology for measuring both vertical and horizontal stresses was developed through the installation of sensors at different depths, to record information on the state of the soil up to 70 cm deep, in this way it is intended to determine the causes and effects of the Induced compaction in soils cultivated in sugar cane.
Photo: Measurement of efforts induced to the ground by the traffic of agricultural machinery.
