Quantification of Traffic Systems in Crop Production

Numerous criteria for quantifying the intensity of field traffic are reviewed and consideration is given to their theoretical and practical relevance. Their selection and utilization depend largely upon the particular application. For general purposes, the product of load and loading time per unit area, the Field Load Index (FLI), is considered to be the most appropriate. Loading 1 ha with 1 bar during 1 s requires roughly 30 t h. From the comparison of the results of different methods of quantifying field traffic on the basis of the same dataset, it appeared that there is good agreement between FLI and other parameters, such as Traffic Intensity (TI) and Compaction Risk Factor (CRF). Higher mechanization levels are attended by lower average values of TI, CRF and FLI. Except for transport of harvest products and slurry, the weight of the power source is the first and often the main determinant for the total load. In turn, the weight of the power source is mainly dependent on the available power. The weight/power ratio for animal traction is 10-20 times higher than for tractors. For some important crops in highly mechanized farming, the time spent in the field by wheeled machinery presently ranges from 5 to 10 h ha-1 year-1. In arable cropping the loading events can be categorized in four groups: (1) seedbed preparation and sowing (seedbed loading), (2) between sowing and harvest (rootbed loading), (3) during harvest (harvest loading), (4) tillage between harvest and the next seedbed preparation (post-harvest loading). Based on data from the U.S.A. and the Netherlands, it has been estimated that for an annual load of 40 t h ha-1, 10% was exerted on the seedbed, 10% on the rootbed, 55% at harvest and 25% in post-harvest tillage. On grassland, the yearly loading by field traffic is usually somewhat lower, but here there is normally no loosening effect of tillage operations. Calculations about the theoretical position of wheelmarks made in the Netherlands, indicate that up to 50% of the field area may be loaded with >5 t h ha-1 for seedbed and rootbed loading together. Usually, the headlands are more frequently loaded than the field itself. For ploughing operations this may result in 3 times higher figures than for the field itself. The few data available suggest that the load distribution in the field may well be an important clue to understand crop responses to soil compaction.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Kuipers, H., van de Zande, J.C.
Format:	Part of book or chapter of book biblioteca
Language:	English
Published:	Elsevier
Subjects:	Life Science,
Online Access:	https://research.wur.nl/en/publications/quantification-of-traffic-systems-in-crop-production
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