Soil penetration resistance and penetrographs in studies of tillage technologies

Soil penetration resistance is an important physical characteristic that may be measured directly in the field. It provides us with valuable information on the properties of the plow layer before tillage and makes it possible to choose an appropriate depth of tillage and intensity of soil crushing and to estimate the tillage quality. The relationships between the soil bulk density and the penetration resistance are described by complex nonlinear models. The most complete characterization of soil penetration resistance can be obtained upon plotting the profile (unidimensional) and two- and three-dimensional penetrographs, which is especially important for precise agriculture. Automated determination of soil penetration resistance and the prospects for its wider application as an indicator of the physicomechanical and technological soil properties for scientific and practical purposes are discussed.