Soil compaction response to wheel traffic in the Rolling Pampas region of Argentina

The present work shows the effects of the different agricultural wheels traffic on the soil physical properties on a Typic Argiudoll soil worked under no-tillage cropping system. Soil compaction produced by traffic was quantified through these parameters: a) cone index, b) rut depth and c) soil water content at the traffic moment. Grain chaser, sprayer, harvester combine and tractor equipped with commonly used wheels in the study area were tested. The main results obtained showed that the tyres with the highest inflation pressure and tyre ground pressures produced the highest values of cone index and rut depth. Typic Argiudoll soil worked under continuous no-tillage cropping system is not able to constrain topsoil and subsoil compaction when it is wheeled by tyre with ground pressures greater than 77.6 kPa. Highlights Soil compaction causes a reduction in root growth and yield in many crops. Soil under a no-tillage system does not limit topsoil and subsoil compaction when wheeled by tyres with ground pressures greater than 77.6 kPa When the machinery load increases on soils with high bearing capacity (soils under a long-term no-tillage system), the subsoil compaction problems increase.

Risk of farmland degradation induced by traffic of tracked and a tired vehicles: Soil stress measurements and model simulations

Vehicle traffic induced soil compaction has negative effects on soil functions and ecosystems which may cause the degradation of farmland. This study investigated the magnitude and distribution of soil stress under the tracked and tired vehicles to explore the penitential of using rubber track instead of tire to reduce the subsoil compaction. The field experiment in this study included three replicates and was conducted on a sandy loam soil. Vertical and horizontal soil stress were measured under the centerlines of the rubber track and tire at a depth of 0.35m by using embedded transducers. The SoilFlex model was applied to simulate vertical and horizontal stress in the soil profile. Unevenly distributed vertical and horizontal stress were observed under the tire and rubber track. The vertical stress was characterized by one peak under the tire and several peaks under each of track wheels and rollers. The horizontal stress exhibited peaks before and after the tire and each of track wheels and rollers. The measured maximum stress was significantly higher under the tire than under the rubber track: that is, vertical and horizontal stress were approximately 3.4 and 2.0 times higher, respectively. This finding indicated that using rubber track maybe an effective method to reduce soil stress when compared with the tire, and was more effective in reducing the vertical stress than horizontal stress. Improving the uniformity of stress distribution under the track is the key to improve the ability of tracked vehicle to mitigate soil compaction.

Effect of Deep Vertical Rotary Tillage on Soil Properties and Sugarcane Biomass in Rainfed Dry-Land Regions of Southern China

Conventional tillage (CT) is the main agricultural practice for rainfed sugarcane production in China. However, subsoil compaction formed by long-term CT is harmful to soil properties and crop yield. Deep vertical rotary tillage (DVRT) is a novel tillage practice, which can alleviate subsoil compaction and create a more favorable soil environment for crop growth. This study aims to compare the effects of DVRT and CT practices on soil properties and sugarcane characteristics. The results showed that DVRT reduced soil bulk density and increased soil porosity to some extent in the 0–40 cm soil profile. Soil water storage of DVRT was relatively higher compared with CT due to the combined effects of soil water holding capacity and vegetation water consumption. There was significantly higher final aboveground biomass, underground biomass, and plant height from DVRT compared to CT (p < 0.05), but there were no differences in final root length between tillage practices. Compared with CT, DVRT with one and two growth-years significantly increased aboveground biomass by 68.90% and 50.14%, respectively. Generally, the soil properties and sugarcane characteristics were not significantly different between DVRT with different growth years. DVRT is recommended as a tillage practice for sustainable agriculture in rainfed regions.

Wheel Load and Wheel Pass Frequency as Indicators for Soil Compaction Risk: A Four-Year Analysis of Traffic Intensity at Field Scale

Avoiding soil compaction is one of the objectives to ensure sustainable agriculture. Subsoil compaction in particular can be irreversible. Frequent passages by (increasingly heavy) agricultural machinery are one trigger for compaction. The aim of this work is to map and analyze the extent of traffic intensity over four years. The analysis is made for complete seasons and individual operations. The traffic intensity is distinguished into areas with more than five wheel passes, more than 5 Mg and 3 Mg wheel load. From 2014 to 2018, 63 work processes on a field were recorded and the wheel load and wheel passes were modeled spatially with FiTraM. Between 82% (winter wheat) and 100% (sugar beet) of the total infield area is trafficked during a season. The sugar beet season has the highest intensities. High intensities of more than five wheel passes and more than 5 Mg wheel load occur mainly during harvests in the headland. At wheel load ≥3 Mg, soil tillage also stresses the headland. In summary, no work process stays below one of the upper thresholds set. Based on the results, the importance of a soil-conserving management becomes obvious in order to secure the soil for agriculture in a sustainable way.