A Review on the Effect of Soil Compaction and its Management for Sustainable Crop Production

Purpose Sustainable crop production could contribute to feed and fuel for the ever-increasing global population. The use of heavy agricultural machinery has improved the efficiency of farming operations and increased global food production since the 1950s. But their negative impact on soil includes changing soil structure resulting in deteriorating soil productivity and environmental quality is being noticed for several decades. The purpose of this review is to summarize and help to better understand the effect of heavy machinery, tire inflation pressure, and field traffic on soil properties and crop development, yield, and economics of different farming systems published in the last 20 years. Methods Search engines such as Google Scholar, Scopus, Science Direct, Springer Link, Wiley Online, Taylor & Francis Online, Academia, and Research Gate platforms were used to collect and review the articles. This review includes indexed journals, conference and symposium proceedings, reports, academic presentations, and thesis/dissertations. Results Soil compaction increases bulk density and soil strength and reduces soil porosity and soil hydraulic properties. Stunted plant root growth due to compaction of soil affects crop growth and development, and yield. Soil compaction resulting from heavy machinery traffic caused a significant crop yield reduction of as much as 50% or even more, depending upon the magnitude and the severity of compaction of the soil. Conclusions High gross weight vehicles/machinery traffic damages soil structure and soil environment that are critical for sustainable crop production. The use of heavy machinery such as subsoiling for removing soil compaction results in more fuel use, increased use of energy, cost, and sometimes risks of re-compaction, further deteriorating soil conditions and causing additional adverse environmental consequences. The economics of different farming systems affected by soil compaction, potential soil compaction management strategies, and future research needs have also been discussed.