Avaliação agronômica de recomendações de inteligências artificiais para o manejo da compactação em solos agrícolas

Abstract

Soil compaction represents one of the main constraints to agricultural productivity in Brazil, particularly in regions of intensive agriculture such as the state of Maranhão. Caused by the use of heavy machinery and inadequate soil management practices, this physical degradation affects key soil attributes, including bulk density, total porosity, water infiltration capacity, penetration resistance (PR, expressed in MPa), nutrient transport, and biological activity within the soil profile. At the same time, advances in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies based on Transformer architecture, especially large language models such as ChatGPT (OpenAI), Gemini (Google DeepMind), and Claude (Anthropic), have enabled the development of tools with potential to support agronomic decision-making. In this context, this study aimed to evaluate the performance of three artificial intelligence systems in diagnosing and recommending management practices for compacted soils under the edaphoclimatic conditions of Maranhão. Five simulated scenarios were developed based on real situations reported in the literature, including four scenarios involving soils with different degrees of compaction and one control scenario without evident physical limitations. A single standardized prompt, structured around four thematic axes — physical diagnosis of compaction, immediate actions, medium-term management, and operational precautions — was submitted simultaneously and identically to the three AI systems, in independent sessions with no previous history, on the same day, and without iterative refinement. The generated responses were analyzed according to predefined criteria, allowing discussion of the technical coherence, practical applicability, depth of recommendations, and limitations of each model. Thus, this study seeks to contribute to the debate on the responsible use of these technologies as support tools for agronomic consulting and rural extension in conservation-oriented soil management