soil conserving field traffic

Background and Objective

Due to texture, soil moisture and utilization, soils have a different load bearing capacity and a different susceptibility to soil compaction. To reduce the ground pressure according to § 17, vehicle parameters, such as wheel load, contact area pressure, tire inflation pressure and number of paasages of the machines used should be adapted to the actual soil compaction sensitivity. That means for example for sugarbeet harvest, the total champagne area and the bunker load of the holding tank should not always be working to their limits.

Target Group

Policymakers, extension services, agricultural industry and agricultural practitioners

Approach

Status quo surveys and permanent soil observation plots (BDF) (by government bodies over long periods of time), give information about the severity and dissemination of actual soil compaction. Systematic mechanical load tests under a single wheel measuring device supplemented in the laboratory by in situ measurements under large agricultural machines on agricultural fields give more information about the interaction machine / soil.

Data and Methods

soil physical measurements (pore size distribution, air and waterpermeability , soil resistance, root growth and yield performance

Our Research Questions

description of susceptibility to compaction of soils; Effect of mechanical load caused by machinery on soil structure

Preliminary Results

locally adapted use of technology

Links and Downloads

AID brochure no. 3614

AID brochure no. 1585