Effects of soil moisture content and tractor wheeling intensity on traffic-induced soil compaction

Abstract

Soil compaction causes deleterious effects on physical and mechanical proprieties of agricultural soils. In order to investigate the effect of soil moisture content and tractor wheeling intensity on traffic-induced soil compaction, this study was carried out on a field with clay loam soil. Soil dry bulk density and hydraulic conductivity as well as emergence percentage of corn seedlings and dry mass of the sampled mature plants were considered the dependent variables of the experiment. Independent variables consisted of soil moisture content with five levels (12, 15, 17, 19, and 21%), traffic intensity with three levels (four, two, and zero passes of tractor wheel (tractor model: John Deere 3350) from the entire area of the plot), and soil sampling depth with three levels (0-10, 10-20, and 20-30 cm). According to the results of this study, gradual increase in soil water content generally resulted in an increase in soil bulk density; moreover, increasing the tractor wheeling intensity from 0 to 4 passes increased bulk density by 13%. Furthermore, the driest soil water content had the highest and the wettest soil water content had the lowest emergence percentage of corn seedlings among the treatments; moreover, traffic intensity treatment inversely affected the emergence percentage of corn seedlings and the dry mass of mature plants. To sum up, these results indicate that, for improving water permeability and reducing dry bulk density of the examined clay loam soil, as well as better emergence of corn seedlings and ultimately increasing crop yield, it is recommended to avoid wheeling when soil moisture content is high, reduce the number of machinery wheel passes from the farm as low as possible, and restrict the wheel passes to fixed strips along the field, whenever possible.

Dynamics of soil penetration resistance, moisture depletion pattern and crop productivity determined by mechanized cultivation and lifesaving irrigation in zero till blackgram

“…Conversely gradual increase in bulk density with an increase in soil moisture content was already documented by Ref. [ 33 ]. Reference [ 15 ] noted increase in bulk density and penetration resistance within no-till.…”

“…[ 33 ] also observed that wheel traffic caused an increase in soil bulk density though wheels are loaded in flooded condition. In the present study also, when the harvester and seed drill was employed, the soil moisture was optimum.…”

Cultivar-dependent differences in tuber growth cause increased soil resistance in potato fields

“…Some initial compaction facilitated these cultivar-dependent differences in soil resistance, with rainfall furthering compacting the topsoil ( Augeard et al., 2008 ), preventing tuber expansion increasing soil height. Furthermore, as dryer soils are less susceptible to compaction ( Ahmadi and Ghuar, 2015 ), soil resistance in the dryer uncompacted plots changed less as tuber biomass increased ( Figures 4 , 5 ).…”

The Health of Vineyard Soils: Towards a Sustainable Viticulture

“…Tillage alters the physical characteristics of soil, significantly affecting its aeration, nutrient levels, and biological activity, but also water-holding capacity and hence temperature regulation. The effects on soil water content and flow are closely linked to the resulting compaction [199] caused by the forces exerted by the tractor wheels and tillage equipment, especially when they operate under a particular range of intermediate soil water contents, which render the soil highly susceptible to deformation [200,201]. Almost all types of tires result in increased soil compaction within the wheel tracks, although there may be differences depending on tire pressure [202].…”