RESISTANCE OF A RED LATOSOL TO PENETRATION: COMPARISON OF PENETROMETERS, MODEL ADJUSTMENT, AND SOIL WATER CONTENT CORRECTION

ABSTRACT Penetration resistance can be determined directly in the field or in the laboratory. However, data obtained using the two methods are not directly comparable. Considering soil moisture influences penetration resistance, penetration resistance data obtained using the two methods can be corrected based on common moisture values. To enable comparison of the data, the measured data should be adjusted using mathematical models. Consequently, the objective of the present study was to compare soil penetration resistance values measured in a Red Latosol using a static penetrometer and a bench-top electronic penetrometer. The comparison was carried out using samples collected from different soil layers, based on moisture levels ranging from 0.15 to 0.28 kg kg-1. In addition, the reliability of some mathematical models was compared using bench-penetrometer data. Finally, the Busscher method and a new proposed method for moisture correction were tested. According to the comparison of results between the equipment, it is necessary to correct data using a linear type equation. The Jakobsen & Dexter (1987) model had the optimal performance (R2: 0.89; RMSD: 0.70). The new proposed corrected method was tested using several reference moisture values and it presented minor (< 0.30 RMSD) and stable errors.