Intelligent system for measuring soil compaction on croplands

The importance of precision agriculture techniques increasing, but data interpretation, instrument cost and qualified personnel for application limit its measurement on croplands. The development and validation of an intelligent apparatus that provides information about soil compaction using Cone Index, described here, replaces the traditional system and obtain reliable data with higher resolution. The data acquisition is also innovative, instead load cells it is used electrical measurements in order to get the power applied by the motor. The system automatically select the points to make measurements and the results are shown on an image, facilitating the data interpretation. The experimental results confirm the method for estimating the penetration force and the soil compaction.