Métodos alternativos de para secagem de amostras de solo em relção ao método convencional

Abstract

Physical-hydric analysis of soil is essential for irrigation management, but drying samples in an oven, which can take up to 48 hours, represents an operational bottleneck in precision agriculture. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness, speed, and precision of drying sandy clay soil samples using alternative methods (microwave oven and air fryer) in relation to the conventional method (oven). The study was conducted in a completely randomized design, with 5 repetitions at two depths (0 10 cm and 10-20 cm). The time results showed a reduction of more than 99% in the alternative methods, with mass stabilization in 10 minutes (microwave) and 18 minutes (air fryer). The analysis of variance (ANOVA) for gravimetric moisture at a depth of 10 20 cm indicated no statistically significant difference between the methods (P = 0.358), validating the use of microwave and air fryer at this layer. For a depth of 0-10 cm, there was a significant difference (P = 0.028), with the air fryer showing the average moisture content closest to the standard method. It was concluded that the Microwave and the air fryer are viable for optimizing time, and the air fryer is the most promising method for determining soil moisture