Soil Compaction And Drainage

AEX-301

Suggestions

Some ways to reduce soil compaction problems include:

1. Reduce the Amount of Tillage Travel: Try minimum tillage, conservation tillage, ridge till, or notill practices to reduce the time needed for field work and possibly reduce the tractor weight.

2. Reduce Traffic Over the Field: Are all these trips necessary? Try aerial spraying or seeding when it's too wet for wheel traffic. Select equipment with lower wheel loads. Plan machine wheel spacing so all traffic uses the same location (controlled traffic).

3. Don't Till or Travel on Soil When It Is Wet (such as spreading manure): Better to wait. Dry soil will compact less than moist soil.

4. Improve Drainage of Wet Soils (both surface and subsurface): it will pay off in better yields. Also, soils will warm faster in spring and allow more flexibility in crop and soil management.

5. Increase Organic Matter in Soil: Use cover crops, manure, crop residues, deep-rooted forages and rotation cropping. Incorporate organic matter into the soil.

6. Remove Added Weight from Tractor When not Required: However, use ballast when needed because slipping tires cause soil smearing and compaction, too. Avoid loaded truck traffic and overloaded combines and grain wagons.

7. Use Agricultural Chemicals Carefully that Kill Earthworms: Band insecticides.

These ideas may require changes in your cropping programs, soil management and production techniques. Less soil compaction will be the main benefit, but other important benefits are reduced erosion and pollution, less energy required, more efficient use of fertilizer and improved crop yields.