Computed reconstruction of field traffic patterns

Abstract

The relationship between the degree of mechanization and the risk of soil compaction on arable farmland was studied, assuming soil conditions did not vary between mechanization systems. An inventory of machine characteristics and all field operations needed to grow the various crops was made on 27 arable farms in The Netherlands. The data obtained were processed so that crop-specific field rut patterns could be reconstructed. An indication of the number of wheel passes, together with information on tyre inflation pressure, wheel load and the soil compaction risk factor, was included. The wheeled area varies with crop type and farm size, owing to differences in the mechanization. Traffic intensity, or the number of times total coverage of the arable field with ruts occurs, varies between 5.4 ha ha −1 year −1 for a potato crop (farm sizes < 35 ha) and 2.2 ha ha −1 year −1 for winter wheat (farm sizes between 55 and 80 ha). Considering the average crop rotation occurring on the farms, traffic intensity decreased from 3.9 ha ha −1 year −1 (farm sizes < 35 ha) to 3.2 ha ha −1 year −1 (farms > 80 ha). The compaction risk factor tends to increase with growing farm sizes. From 80 ha onwards, however, the factor remains constant mainly owing to lower traffic intensity and maximum sizes of tyres, tyre inflation pressure and wheel load. Compaction measurements in normal arable farming practice give way to the assumption that penetration resistance is corrected with farm size, and thus with the degree of mechanization.