Wheel Traffic on Regrowth and Production of Summer Annual Grasses1

Abstract

AbstractWheel traffic is known to affect soil characteristics, seed germination and seedling emergence, and has been observed to damage stubble of plants harvested for greenchop. The objective of this study was to measure the gross effects of the passage of tractor and wagon wheels on the regrowth of ‘Sudax SX‐11’ sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] and ‘Gahi‐1’ pearlmillet [Pennisetum americanum (L.) K. Schum]. Four experiments were conducted during the 1969–71 period at two locations on silt loam soils. Wheel traffic consisted of passing a front (152‐mm wide) and a rear (315 or 396‐mm wide) wheel of a medium‐sized tractor (1,745 or 2,190 kg) over the grass stubble after a greenchop harvest. One year, a 1360 kg wagon followed the tractor. Dry matter regrowth of both grasses was decreased by traffic. The reduction was sometimes 15 to 20%, often 30%, and occasionally 50%. The greatest reduction could be attributed to the first wheel passage, additional traffic having less effect than the first. These results indicate that reducing the number of wheel tracks across a field, either by the use of matched equipment or planned traffic patterns, could lead to greater efficiency of production of summer annual grasses for greenchop.