Soil compaction and controlled traffic considerations in Australian cotton-farming systems

Abstract

A literature review was conducted to collate best practice techniques for soil compaction management within cotton-farming systems in Australia. Universally negative effects of traffic-induced soil compaction on the whole-farm system and the wider environment include: (i) increased gap between attainable and potential yields, (ii) increased costs of energy and labour, (iii) reduced fertiliser-use efficiency, (iv) reduced water use efficiency (irrigation and rainfall), (v) increased tillage intensity. Knowledge gaps that merit research priority, and research strategies, are suggested. These include: (i) identifying wider impacts on farm economics to guide decision-making and development of decision support systems that capture the effects of compaction on fertiliser, water, and energy use efficiency; (ii) predicting risks at the field or subfield scale and implementing precision management of traffic compaction; (iii) canopy management at terminal stages of the crop cycle to manipulate soil-moisture deficits before crop harvest, thereby optimising trafficability for harvesting equipment; (iv) the role of controlled traffic farming (CTF) in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and loss of soil organic carbon, and in enhancing fertiliser and water-use efficiencies; (v) recent developments in tyre technology, such as low ground-pressure tyres, require investigation to assess their cost-effectiveness compared with other available options; and (vi) catchment-scale modelling incorporating changes in arable land-use, such as increased area under CTF coupled with no- or minimum-tillage, and variable rate technology is suggested. Such modelling should assess the potential of CTF and allied technologies to reduce sediment and nutrient losses, and improve water quality in intensively managed arable catchments. Resources must be efficiently managed within increasingly sophisticated farming systems to enable long-term economic viability of cotton production. Agronomic and environmental performance of cotton farming systems could be improved with a few changes, and possibly, at a reasonable cost. Key to managing soil compaction appears to be encouraging increased adoption of CTF. This process may benefit from financial support to growers, such as agri-environmental stewardships, and it would be assisted by product customisation from machinery manufacturers.

Mapping the Depth-to-Soil pH Constraint, and the Relationship with Cotton and Grain Yield at the Within-Field Scale

“…Some of the most common soil constraints in this region are high levels of salinity, sodicity, alkalinity, and compaction [1], particularly in the subsoil, but still within the rooting zone of crops. Soil salinity [2,3], sodicity [4,5], and compaction [6,7], and their impact on crops in these regions have received much attention however, there has been little emphasis on soil alkalinity constraints.…”

Experimental Assessment of Dust Emissions on Compacted Soils Degraded by Traffic

“…Such a low speed induces a longer contact between the wheel and the ground. As a consequence, the normal stress distribution is greater in the soil samples than it would have been in the field [41], but the frictional stress is lower.…”

Field Evaluation of Controlled Traffic Farming in Central Europe Using Commercially Available Machinery

“…The results reported in this study agree with earlier work (Kingwell and Fuchsbichler, 2011;Chamen et al, 2015) and therefore are supportive of further adoption of CTF in Europe. While quantifying the potential environmental benefits associated with CTF was not the task of this study, it is expected that improved resource use efficiency, including fertilizer, water, and energy, as well as increased soil protection will enhance the overall environmental performance compared with random field traffic (Li et al, 2007;Masters et al, 2013;Gasso et al, 2013;Chyba et al, 2014;Antille et al, 2016).…”

“…Research has shown that CTF has fundamental advantages in maintaining soil structural conditions, with lower inputs of energy (reduced draft) and improved trafficability and timeliness, compared to conventional traffic systems (Chamen and Longstaff, 1995;Tullberg, 2000;McPhee et al, 2015). In Australia, CTF represents a profitable technological innovation for arable land use (Kingwell and Fuchsbichler, 2011), which has additional, and significant, agronomic and environmental benefits (Gasso et al, 2013), including reduced potential for greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and enhanced fertilizer use efficiency (Torbert and Reeves, 1995;Vermeulen and Mosquera, 2009;Antille et al, 2015Antille et al, , 2016. Similar observations have been reported in reviews Chamen et al, 2015) and experimental studies conducted in Northern and Western Europe .…”