Assessment of a wide span vehicle (gantry), and soil and cereal crop responses to its use in a zero traffic regime

The adverse effect of soil over-compaction on crop production efficiency was the basis for a programme to assess soil and crop responses to a zero traffic regime based on a 12 m gantry. The vehicle and its operating system, together with tasks ranging from fertilizer and spray application to draught and powered cultivations and cereals harvesting, are described. Results indicated that the gantry was a practical means of separating the cropped and wheeled (zero traffic) areas of a field. Cultivation draught and energy savings of up to 50% and 70%, respectively, were identified on a clay soil where traffic was eliminated from the cropped area. There was also evidence that this regime resulted in significant improvements to soil structure and crop establishment. The average yield of wheat from the zero traffic plots in 1989 was 6.8 t ha⁻¹, compared with 5.7 t ha⁻¹ from the conventionally managed soil. In the dry season of 1989–1990, the yield of oats was not differentially affected by treatment.