The objective of this work was to characterize the spatial variability of soil resistance to penetration (RP) in no tillage farming, identifying the degree of soil compaction. The RP was determined directly in the field, in systematic way in three soils types. The first experimental area was in Santa Maria, in Hapludalf, with 120g clay kg-1 in the layer of 0-20cm. The second, located in Cruz Alta, in a Haplortox, with 500g clay kg-1 in the 0-20cm layer and the third experimental area located in Colonel Barros, in a Hapludox, with 600g clay kg-1 in the 0-20cm layer. The values of RP were analyzed by descriptive statistics and for geoestatistical techniques. In the three soils, the technique of the krigeagem was used to make surface maps, identifying three classes of RP, the one that, we called degree compaction (EC). In Hapludalf, smallest EC was considered the values of RP among 0.58MPa to 0.88MPa, the middleman EC among 0.89MPa to 1.18MPa and largest EC, values of RP between 1.19MPa and 1.50MPa. In Haplortox, in the smallest EC the values of RP were selected varying among 1.70MPa to 2.22MPa, the middleman EC, RP among 2.23MPa to 2.75MPa and, in largest EC, values of RP among 2.76MPa to 3.20MPa. In Hapludox the values of RP in smallest EC were among 0.20MPa to 1.59MPa, in the middleman EC among 1.60MPa to 2.10MPa and in largest EC, among 2.11MPa to 2.80MPa. In the three areas, the distribution of the soil degree compaction decreased of the headboard area (larger EC) for the center of the farming (smaller EC).
soil compaction; semivarigram; normal distribution
