Corn crop performance in an Ultisol compacted by tractor traffic

Abstract

-The objective of this work was to determine whether compaction by tractor traffic in areas managed under controlled traffic can be limiting to corn crop, under different tillage systems, in a Typic Paleudult of medium texture. Two experiments were carried out, one in the field over two crop seasons and another in a greenhouse. The treatments consisted of minimum tillage with chiselling; no-tillage subjected to one, three, or six passes of a tractor weighing 3.8 Mg; and an area without traffic. Evaluations were performed for soil physicohydraulic parameters (soil bulk density, penetration resistance, and water retention curve), root and shoot growth, and grain yield. The agricultural traffic increased bulk density, soil penetration resistance, and water content at field capacity. The highest values for soil penetration resistance (1,600 kPa) and bulk density (1.67 g cm ) in the trafficked soil were not limiting to corn development and increased grain yield for both crop seasons. Tractor traffic of up to six passes is beneficial to corn cultivation, and it increases water availability and corn grain yield.

Linking Soil Water Changes to Soil Physical Quality in Sugarcane Expansion Areas in Brazil

“…However, our findings indicated an inverse pattern in the Sandy soil, in which there was a reduction in PAW in SCratoon that has experienced successive machinery traffic. In this case, the soil with a lower amount of clay and a higher amount of sand (Table 1) responded differently to machinery traffic, when compared to the results reported by Moraes et al [48], and tillage followed by traffic altered soil pore-size distribution in SCratoon (e.g., 10-20 cm layer) (Figure 2a). Nonetheless, a positive effect on soil water retention due to compaction could be confirmed when macroporosity does not reach critical values.…”

“…Soil compaction by traffic can positively affect soil water retention due to rearrangement of pore-size distribution in sandy soils, as reported by Moraes et al [48] in a Typic Paleudult with 25% of clay and 55% of sand. However, our findings indicated an inverse pattern in the Sandy soil, in which there was a reduction in PAW in SCratoon that has experienced successive machinery traffic.…”

Mechanical and Hydric Stress Effects on Maize Root System Development at Different Soil Compaction Levels

“…The 1D hydrological model of soil water flow numerically solves the Richards equation and can simulate water flow in the soil–plant–atmosphere continuum (van Dam and Feddes, 2000). The equations of the model, and its coupling and implementation were described in Moraes et al (2018b). In addition, we performed a baseline scenario where the root system ( i.e.…”

“…Root elongation reduction due to soil strength–induced stress in layer z , on day t , is given by Eq. (4) following the recommendation of Moraes et al (2018b) for a soil with continuous pores in the soil profile:…”

“…No functional–structural model of root growth and root water uptake currently addresses the dynamics of those stresses and their effect on maize root elongation during the crop development cycle (Leitner et al, 2010a; Dunbabin et al, 2013; Leitner et al, 2014). In Moraes et al (2018b), we presented a new model of hydric and mechanical stress effects on root elongation. The model consists of two modules, an extended version of the RootBox model (Leitner et al, 2010a) that reduces root elongation rate due to mechanical and hydric stresses, and a 1D solution of the Richards equation including root water uptake.…”