Soil disturbance under small harvester traffic in paddy‐based smallholder farms in China

Abstract

Machine-induced soil disturbance may negatively impact the sustainability of a smallholder farming system. On-farm studies at 143 fields were conducted over three crop seasons with the goal of quantifying the effect of soil disturbance on rice (Oryza sativa L.) paddy productivity induced by small harvesters (i.e., power <75 kW, weight < 3.5 Mg, and working width <2200 mm). A field survey toolbox containing fine-layered cone penetration test, soil micro-relief measurement, soil physics test (water content, bulk density, and porosity), documentation of field attributes, harvesters' technical specifications, cropping systems, and farmers' practices was used for field observation. Results showed that harvester traffic increased soil bulk density and decreased soil porosity. However, harvester-induced soil changes in statistics were not detected. In addition, trafficked lanes had great soil strength (P = .05) than non-trafficked lanes, and equipment induced compaction was limited to the surface 150 mm. Therefore, small harvesters minimized subsurface soil damage. However, regardless of the model and specification, all harvesters caused ruts. Small field sizes, irregular field shapes, inconsistent field management practices, lacking soil protection awareness, excessive soil water content during rice harvesting and random field traffic were identified as major factors aggravating soil disturbance. Above these, several well-established approaches to alleviate machine-induced soil damage were also observed during the field survey, including pre-harvesting drainage, floating chassis, ultra-narrow wheels, and puddling.Abbreviations: 2WT, two-wheel tractors; CTF, controlled traffic farming; SFSE, smallholder farms using small equipment.

Application of Fuzzy-Rough Approach in Tractor Selection

“…Tractors come in various sizes and serve diverse purposes (Puška et al, 2022). The choice of which tractor to procure is contingent upon the scale of the agricultural enterprise and the magnitude of agricultural production (Huo et al, 2020). Tractors constitute versatile category of agricultural machinery, with their specific functions dictated by the attachments that can be affixed to them.…”

“…This research highlights the vital role that technology plays in optimizing farming practices. In a similar vein, Huo et al (2020) assess the impact of small rice harvesters on soil disturbance, identifying methods to mitigate soil damage, including pre-harvesting drainage and equipment modifications like floating chassis and ultra-narrow wheels. These findings emphasize the importance of innovative solutions for sustainable agriculture.…”

Post‐paddy tillage affects soil physical processes of rain‐fed rice–wheat rotation

“…The experiment was conducted in the field within a typical tableland landscape (Figure 1a), Babaiqiao Town (31°98′ N, 118°59′ E), Luhe District, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China. The site was in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River basin where the rice–wheat rotation has been historically practiced on smallholding farms (Huo et al., 2020). The farm is under a subtropical monsoon climate, with high temperature and excessive rain in summer, and mild precipitation in winter and spring.…”

“…Repeat tractor compaction, years of shallow rotary tillage, and paddy–dryland rotation led to soil consolidation, which results in a shallow tillage layer at about 15 cm deep and a dense hardpan underneath in the rice–wheat rotation (Huo et al., 2020). Transforming rain‐fed rice to RFRW rotation and applying RFRW rotation to more diverse geographic and climatic conditions demand innovative tillage practices.…”

Exploring relationships between soil compaction, amelioration and functioning

“…It has been noted that the ongoing urbanization in small-holder farming countries has stimulated the mechanization of small-holder agriculture (Huo et al, 2020), and although the light-weight two-wheel tractors have low axle loads, traffic-induced soil compaction have been found in both topsoil and in subsoil in small-holder agriculture (Baudron et al, 2012). Results presented in Chapter 5 suggest that human induced compacted subsoils are at more shallow depth in small-holder agriculture than in mechanized agriculture.…”