The potential of a low ground pressure traffic system to reduce soil compaction on a clayey loam soil

Abstract

A low ground pressure traffic system was compared with the currently used high ground pressure traffic system and a hypothetical zero ground pressure system in arable farming with annual primary tillage to a depth of 25 cm. The effects of the traffic systems on soil, crops, energy consumption and available work days in spring were studied in a field experiment with winter wheat, sugar beet, onions and ware potatoes grown in rotation on a clayey loam soil from 1986 to 1989. The zero ground pressure system resulted in very clear improvements in porosities and crumbling properties of the topsoil compared with the high ground pressure system, but the low ground pressure system (roughly 50% of high ground pressure) gave relatively small improvements. The root crop yields of plots subjected to low and zero ground pressure were respectively 4% and 9% higher than the yield from the high ground pressure treatment. No significant differences were found for wheat. A lower ground pressure level can markedly improve the number of days on which seedbed preparation equipment can be used without reducing the air-filled porosities of the soil below a predetermined target under the wheel ruts of the seedbed combination. The maximum axle load in a low ground pressure system is restricted by the load capacity of the tyres. When the largest available tyre sizes are used an axle load of 10 Mg at 100 kPa ground pressure (80 kPa tyre inflation pressure) is feasible. Farm profits were marginally better for the low ground pressure system than for the high ground pressure system.