Impact of Machinery Passages on Soil Compaction in Field Conditions

Abstract The present study compares the consequences of soil compaction due to machinery in a selected 13.7 ha plot at Hronské Kosihy (Slovak Republic). The crop was winter wheat, while the changes of selected soil properties (penetration resistance and gravimetric soil water content) were monitored. The experimental plot was divided into 11 zones with different initial status of compaction: one of them was the reference zone without compaction (P1), five zones were out of the track line, four were directly in the track lines, and one was a collection route. The number of passages in each zone was from 0 up to more than 15. The impact of the number of machinery passages on gravimetric soil water content was found significant both in and out of the track lines with an average value of 17.37%. The monitoring of the passage number showed to be important also in the monitoring of soil penetration resistance (P <0.05). The average value of penetration resistance in the P1 zone was 2.33 MPa. The dependence of soil compaction on passages (P <0.05) was identified by the assessment and comparison of individual impacts of passages in the track zones (P3, P4, P6, and P7). A similar scenario was found also in case of the dependence of soil compaction on the passages monitored off the track lines (P2, P5). Also, the change of tire pressure was statistically significant, its decrease from 0.19 to 0.15 MPa showed to be beneficial. The highest compaction was monitored in the passages in P11 with an average value of 5.36 MPa, representing 2.3 times higher values than the reference one. The creation of a collection line enables reducing the compaction of the entire plot. The collection line should cover only a very small part of the plot.