DOES TRAFFIC CONTROL IN AGRICULTURAL AREAS AFFECT SOYBEAN ROOT DEVELOPMENT?

ABSTRACT Root development contributes to the performance of soybean crops and the achievement of high yields, and the use of techniques that promote this development is essential, such as controlled traffic farming, which confines soil compaction to permanent traffic lanes. This study evaluated areas with and without controlled agricultural machinery traffic and its effect on soybean root development. The experiment was conducted at the Mato Grosso do Sul State University, in Cassilândia, MS, Brazil. The split-plot design with six replications was used. The treatments included areas with controlled traffic (CT) and without controlled traffic (WCT) of machinery, as well as the use of Urochloa (signal grass), pearl millet, a cover crop mix (Urochloa + pearl millet), and spontaneous species for cover formation. Soybean was sown, and at full flowering, the root system was evaluated by collecting monoliths, which were later scanned and processed using SAFIRA software for each treatment. The areas with controlled traffic and Urochloa cover presented greater soybean root length, reaching 130 cm in the planting row and 175 cm between rows. The greatest root development was observed in the controlled traffic areas.