Long-term effects of a single compaction by heavy field traffic on yield and nitrogen uptake of annual crops

The long-term effects of soil compaction by heavy traffic on crop growth were examined in field experiments on a heavy clay (Vertic Cambisol) and an organic soil (Mollic Gleysol). There were three treatments: one pass and four repeated passes with a tandem axle load of 16 Mg, with wheel tracks completely covering the plot area, and a control without experimental traffic. Both loadings compacted the soils to a depth of 0.4–0.5 m. For 9 years after the loading, spring cereals (oats, wheat and barley) were the main crops grown. Yield, moisture content at harvest, thousand-kernel and bulk weight and nitrogen uptake of crops were determined each year. Although lodging of crops in the control and sometimes also in the treatment with one pass complicated the interpretation of results, especially for the organic soil, compaction clearly did affect crop production. For several years after the loading, it decreased yields and nitrogen uptake of crops and lowered seed moisture contents at harvest. Effects of the compaction were especially marked on the clay soil in the first 3 years and the rainy sixth year. Taken as a mean of the first 8 years, compaction of the clay soil with four passes reduced the yields by 4% and nitrogen uptake of annual crops by 9%. Compaction of the organic soil with four passes decreased the yield by 1% and nitrogen yield by 4%, as a mean of the first 5 and the last 3 years. The bulk weight or the thousand-kernel weight of yields was not notably affected by the compaction.