Agricultural traffic control and soil physical attributes in sugarcane areas

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of traffic control on soil compaction in sugarcane areas with mechanical harvesting system. The study was carried out in a randomized complete block design in a split plot arrangement, with the following treatments: traditional mechanical harvesting, mechanical harvesting with traffic control, mechanical harvesting with traffic control and automatic tractor guidance. Soil physical properties were assessed at 0.0–0.1, 0.1–0.2 and 0.2–0.3-m depths, at the planting row, at the wheel tracks, and between wheel tracks. The effects of these treaments on sugarcane yield were evaluated, respectively, too. Agricultural traffic increases soil density, and reduces aggregate mean geometric diameters and macroporosity at the wheel tracks in comparison to the planting row, which leads to cumulative soil physical quality degradation throughout the years. The two years of agricultural traffic control did not influence the studied soil physical attributes.