Overview on Soil Compaction and Sugar Beet Growth

With the advancement of agricultural mechanization,soil compaction has become a serious environmental problem.Soil compaction can increase soil bulk density and firmness,reduce porosity and permeability,and deteriorate soil structure,ultimately inhibit sugar beet growth and reduce both root yield and sugar content.However,few farmers recognize the link between soil compaction and these adverse effects.Soil compaction has a cumulative effect,with significant differences observed in the vertical range of compaction accumulation.The most significant soil compaction occurs in the topsoil of 0-10 cm,and the influence depth can reach 70 cm,but it is small in deep soil,and the inflection point is at a soil depth of 10 cm.The degree of soil compaction is related to soil type,water content,tractor shaft load,tyre type,tyre pressure and operation speed,etc.Therefore,in the production process of sugar beet,it is advisable to avoid high-humidity operations,use low pressure tyres,reduce the number of tractor-units passes over the farmland,and implement agricultural and agronomic measures to minimize soil compaction.These practices will help protect the soil environment and ensure sustainable production of sugar beets.

Continuous measurement method and mathematical model for soil compactness

With the continuous improvement of agricultural mechanization,soil compaction becomes more and more serious.Serious soil compaction has been considered as an important negative factor affecting crop growth and yield.The measurement of soil compactness is a common method to measure the soil compaction level.In order to solve the problems of discontinuous sampling,time-consuming and poor real-time soil compactness measurement,a real-time measurement method of soil compactness based on fertilizing shovel was proposed,and the mathematical model between fertilizing shovel arm deformation and soil compactness was established.Based on the interaction mechanism between fertilizing shovel and soil,through the force analysis of fertilizing shovel,it was found that the deformation of fertilizing shovel arm was positively correlated with the sum of soil compactness(SSC)within the range of tillage depth.In order to verify the theoretical analysis results and the detection accuracy of strain gauge,the static bench test was carried out.The test results showed that the strain gauge signal for measuring the deformation of the fertilizing shovel arm was significantly correlated with the applied force.The fitting curve of the linear correlation coefficient was 0.999,the maximum detection error was 0.68 kg,and the detecting accuracy was within the tolerance of 0.57%.Through field orthogonal experiments with four working depths and four compaction levels,a mathematical model of the strain gauge signal and the SSC within the range of tillage depth was established.The experiment showed that compared with the other three depths,the linear correlation coefficient at the tillage depth of 5 cm(TD5)was the lowest,and the slope of the fitting curve was obviously different from the other three depths,so the 5 cm data were excluded when modeling.The model between mean signal value and mean SSC within the range of tillage depth was established based on the data of sampling points with tillage depths of 7.5 cm(TD7.5),10 cm(TD10),and 12.5 cm(TD12.5).The linear correlation coefficient(R^(2))of the model between mean signal value and mean SSC which eliminated 5 cm data was 0.980 and the root mean square error(RMSE)was 143.57 kPa.Compared with the linear model before averaging,the R^(2) was improved by 8.65%,and the RMSE was reduced by 52.39%.This system can realize the real-time and continuous measurement of soil compactness and provide data support for follow-up intelligent agricultural operations.

Effect of Deep Loosening on Soil Structure and Maize Root Activity

[Objective] This study was conducted to explore the effects of deep loos- ening on soil structure and the activity of maize root system, to provide a theoreti- cal basis for the efficient and rational use of water resources. [Method] Three differ- ent loosening treatments for maize in ridges were performed in field trials as fol- lows： conventional ridge tillage, loosening the cm in spring （deep loosening in spring）, and depth of 30 cm in autumn （deep loosening in soils between rows to a depth of 30 oosening the soils between rows to a autumn）. Then the soil properties and the development of root system were measured to evaluate the effects of different loosening methods. [Result] Soil compactness was significantly reduced after deep loosening in spring, There were significant differences in soil compactness in 0-20 cm depth and soil bulk density in 0-40 cm depth between deep loosening in spring and deep loosening in autumn, deep loosening in spring and conventional ridge tillage. The soil water holding capacity was also significantly different between the two deep loosening treatments and conventional ridge tillage. Moreover, the root ac- tive absorption area of maize of deep loosening in spring was higher than that of conventionai ridge tillage. [Conclusion] Deep loosening can reduce soil compactness, bulk density, and improve soil water holding capacity, soil water content and the root activity of maize. Deep loosening in spring is better in soil improvement be- cause spring is closer to the growth period of crops than autumn. So, deep loosen- ing is conducive to the improvement of soil compactness and structure.

Water content and modulus relationship of a compacted unsaturated soil

In order to assess the performance of the embankment soil under various climate conditions during the period of service, the modulus behaviour of an unsaturated compacted soil is evaluated using the constant water content triaxial test. Since the water content measurement method is simple and economical and it is used widely in engineering, the soil suction is replaced by the water content and the relationship between the water content and the modulus is developed. The compacted samples are prepared with different compacted water contents, and samples with a similar water content subjected to drying or wetting procedures prior to the triaxial test are also investigated. The effect of the water content and the confining pressure on the modulus is analyzed. The results show that the modulus decreases with the increase in the water content and a power function can be proposed to quantitatively describe the relationship between the modulus and the water content in the range of the measured water content. The modulus increases with the increase in the confining pressure of the compacted soil. However, the effect of the water content on the modulus is more pronounced than that of the confining pressure. This research can be referenced for the compacted embankment soil assessment in-service period.

Summary and Improvement Measures for Soil Compaction Caused by Machinery

As agricultural mechanization is becoming more and more popular, soil compaction, on basis of agricultural machinery, has become a serious problem that can not be ignored. Soil compaction, which is caused by frequent til age and large load in the field, may have different effects on various properties of soil. Soil com-paction may result in different conditions, such as increased soil density and the mechanical resistance, and decreased soil ventilation and the capacity of water holding and storage, but uptaking capacity of chemical elements is restricted. There-fore, soil compaction has some negative impacts on soil properties, physical y, chemical y, or biological y, as wel as plant growth. This research analyzed the cause and the harm of soil compaction in recent years, and some effective mea-sures were proposed to improve soil compaction, in order to reduce the extent of soil compaction caused by agricultural machinery.

Effect of Sprinkler and Border Irrigation on Topsoil Structure in Winter Wheat Field

A two-year experiment was carried out on the effect of sprinkler irrigation on the topsoil structure in a winter wheat field. A border-irrigated field was used as the control group. The total soil porosity, pore size distribution, pore shape distribution, soil cracks and soil compaction were measured. The sprinkler irrigation brought significant changes to the total soil porosity, capillary porosity, air-filled porosity and pore shape of topsoil layers in comparison with the border irrigation. The total porosity and air-filled porosity of the topsoil in the sprinkler irrigation were higher than those in the border irrigation. The changes in the air-filled and elongated pores were the main reasons for the changes in total porosity. The porosities of round and irregular pores in topsoil under sprinkler irrigation were lower than those under border irrigation. Sprinkler irrigation produced smaller soil cracks than border irrigation did, so sprinkler irrigation may restrain the development of macropore flow in comparison with border irrigation. The topsoil was looser under sprinkler irrigation than under border irrigation. According to the conditions of topsoil structure, it is preferable for crops to grow under sprinkler irrigation than under border irrigation.

Seasonal Development of Microbial Activity in Soils of Northern Norway

Seasonal development of soil microbial activity and bacterial biomass in sub-polar regions was investigated to determine the impacts of biotic and abiotic factors, such as organic matter content, temperature and moisture. The study was performed during spring thaw from three cultivated meadows and two non-cultivated forest sites near Alta, in northern Norway. Samples from all five sites showed increasing respiration rates directly after the spring thaw with soil respiration activity best related to soil organic matter content. However, distributions of bacterial biomass showed fewer similarities to these two parameters. This could be explained by variations of litter exploitation through the biomass. Microbial activity started immediately after the thaw while root growth had a longer time lag. An influence of root development on soil microbes was proposed for sites where microorganisms and roots had a tight relationship caused by a more intensive root structure. Also a reduction of microbial activity due to soil compaction in the samples from a wheel track could not be observed under laboratory conditions. New methodological approaches of differential staining for live and dead organisms were applied in order to follow changes within the microbial community. Under laboratory conditions freeze and thaw cycles showed a damaging influence on parts of the soil bacteria. Additionally, different patterns for active vs. non-active bacteria were noticeable after freeze-thaw cycles.

Infiltration characteristics of non-aqueous phase liquids in undisturbed loessal soil cores

The widespread contamination of soils and aquifers by non-aqueous phase liquids （NAPL）, such as crude oil, poses serious environmental and health hazards globally. Understanding the infiltration characteristics of NAPL in soil is crucial in mitigating or remediating soil contamination. The infiltration characteristics of crude and diesel oils into undisturbed loessal soil cores, collected in polymethyl methacrylate cylindrical columns, were investigated under a constant fluid head （3 era） of either crude oil or diesel oil. The infiltration rate of both crude and diesel oils decreased exponentially as wetting depth increased with time. Soil core size and bulk density both had significant effects on NAPL infiltration through the undisturbed soil cores; a smaller core size or a greater bulk density could reduce oil penetration to depth. Compacting soil in areas susceptible to oil spills may be an effective stratage to reduce contamination. The infiltration of NAPL into soil cores was spatially anisotropic and heterogeneous, thus recording the data at four points on the soil core is a good stratage to improve the accuracy of experimental results. Our results revealed that crude and diesel oils, rather than their components, have a practical value for remediation of contaminated loessal soils.

Review of collapse triggering mechanism of collapsible soils due towetting

Loess soil deposits are widely distributed in arid and semi-arid regions and constitute about 10% of land area of the world.These soils typically have a loose honeycomb-type meta-stable structure that is susceptible to a large reduction in total volume or collapse upon wetting.Collapse characteristics contribute to various problems to infrastructures that are constructed on loess soils.For this reason,collapse triggering mechanism for loess soils has been of significant interest for researchers and practitioners all over the world.This paper aims at providing a state-of-the-art review on collapse mechanism with special reference to loess soil deposits.The collapse mechanism studies are summarized under three different categories,i.e.traditional approaches,microstructure approach,and soil mechanics-based approaches.The traditional and microstructure approaches for interpreting the collapse behavior are comprehensively summarized and critically reviewed based on the experimental results from the literature.The soil mechanics-based approaches proposed based on the experimental results of both compacted soils and natural loess soils are reviewed highlighting their strengths and limitations for estimating the collapse behavior.Simpler soil mechanics-based approaches with less parameters or parameters that are easy-to-determine from conventional tests are suggested for future research to better understand the collapse behavior of natural loess soils.Such studies would be more valuable for use in conventional geotechnical engineering practice applications.

Numerical simulation of tire/soil interaction using a verified 3D finite element model

The compaction and stress generation on terrain were always investigated based on empirical approaches or testing methods for tire/soil interaction.However,the analysis should be performed for various tires and at different soil strengths.With the increasing capacity of numerical computers and simulation software,finite element modeling of tire/terrain interaction seems a good approach for predicting the effect of change on the parameters.In this work,an elaborated 3D model fully complianning with the geometry of radial tire 115/60R13 was established,using commercial code Solidwork Simulation.The hyper-elastic and incompressible rubber as tire main material was analyzed by Moony-Rivlin model.The Drucker-Prager yield criterion was used to model the soil compaction.Results show that the model realistically predicts the laboratory tests outputs of the modeled tire on the soft soil.

Saturated anisotropic hydraulic conductivity of a compacted lateritic soil

This study focuses on the saturated anisotropic hydraulic conductivity of a compacted lateritic clayey sandy soil. The effects of the molding water content and the confining stress on the anisotropic hydraulic conductivity are investigated. The hydraulic conductivity is measured with a flexible-wall permeameter. Samples are dynamically compacted into the three compaction states of a standard Proctor compaction curve： the dry branch, optimum water content and wet branch. Depending on the molding water content and confining stress, the hydraulic conductivity may increase or decrease. In addition, the results indicate that, when the samples are compacted to the optimum water content, lower hydraulic conductivity is obtained, except at a confining stress equal to 50 kPa. The increase of the confining stress decreases the hydraulic conductivity for each of the evaluated compaction states. In the wet branch, horizontal hy- draulic conductivity is about 8 times higher than the vertical value. The anisotropic hydraulic conduc- tivities of the dry and wet branches decrease when the confining stress increases, and the opposite is observed in the optimum water content state.

Soil disturbances due to machinery traffic on steep skid trail in the north mountainous forest of Iran

A study was conducted to investigate the effects of skid trail slope and traffic levels on soil disturbances at two soil depths （0--10 and 10-20 cm）. The treatments were set at four traffic levels （2, 7, 12 and 20） two slope classes （〈20% and 〉20%） and two soil depths （0-10 and 10-20 cm）. Results show that skidder traffic, longitudinal slope and soil depth have significant effect on soil bulk density in skid trail. Compari- son of average soil bulk density in different traffic levels shows that there are significant differences in average bulk density between different traffic levels and control （p〈0.05）. The average bulk densities in different slopes and soil depths are significantly increased with increase in traffic levels, maximized at 12 passes （p〈0.05）, but there are no significant differences between 12 and 20 passes. The interaction effects between traffic and soil depth are significant （F005,3=0.109, p〈0.001）. For all traffic treatments, there are significant differences in soil moisture con- tent between the two slope classes and the two depths （p〈0.001）. However, the interaction effects between traffic levels and slope classes are not significant （p 〉0.05）, although skidder traffic and slope affected soil moisture content.

The inf luence of soil drying- and tillage-induced penetration resistance on maize root growth in a clayey soil

Soil drying may induce a number of stresses on crops. This paper investigated maize（Zea mays L.） root growth as affected by drought and soil penetration resistance（PR）, which was caused by soil drying and tillage in a clayey red soil. Compared with conventional tillage（C） and deep tillage（D）, soil compaction（P） and no-till（N） significantly increased soil PR in the 0-15 cm layer. The PR increased dramatically as the soil drying increased, particularly in soil with a high bulk density. Increased soil PR reduced the maize root mass density distribution not only in the vertical profile（0-20 cm） but also in the horizontal layer at the same distance（0-5, 5-10, 10-15 cm） from the maize plant. With an increase in soil PR in pots, the maize root length, root surface area and root volume significantly decreased. Specifically, the maize root length declined exponentially from 309 to 64 cm per plant with an increase in soil PR from 491 to 3 370 k Pa; the roots almost stopped elongating when the soil PR was larger than 2 200 k Pa. It appeared that fine roots（〈2.5 mm in diameter） thickened when the soil PR increased, resulting in a larger average root diameter. The average root diameter increased linearly with soil PR, regardless of soil irrigation or drought. The results suggest that differences in soil PR caused by soil drying is most likely responsible for inconsistent root responses to water stress in different soils.

How does organic matter affect the physical and mechanical properties of forest soil?

Determining the physical and mechanical properties of soil and its behavior for engineering projects is essential for road construction operations. One of the most important principles in forest road construction, which is usually neglected, is to avoid mixing organic matter with road materials during excavation and embankment construction. The current study aimed to assess the influence of organic matter on the physical properties and mechanical behaviors of forest soil and to analyze the relation between the amount of organic matter and the behavior of forest soil as road material. A typical soil sample from the study area was collected beside a newly constructed roadbed. The soil was mixed with different percentages of organic matter（control treatment, 5, 10, and 15% by mass） and different tests including Atterberg limits, standard compaction, and California bearing ratio（CBR） tests were conducted on these different soil mixtures. The results showed that soil plasticity increased linearly with increasing organic matter.Increasing the organic matter from 0%（control） to 15%resulted in an increase of 11.64% of the plastic limit and 15.22% of the liquid limit after drying at 110 ℃. Also,increasing the organic matter content reduced the soil maximum dry density and increased the optimum moisture content. Increasing the organic matter from 0 to 15% resulted in an increase of 11.0% of the optimum moisture content and a decrease of 0.29 g/cm;of the maximum dry density. Organic matter decreased the CBR, which is used as the index of road strength. Adding 15% organic matter to the soil resulted in a decrease of the CBR from 15.72 to 4.75%. There was a significant difference between the two drying temperatures（60 and 110 ℃） for the same organic matter mixtures with lower water content values after drying at 60 ℃. The results revealed the adverse influence of organic matter on soil engineering properties and showed the importance of organic matter removal before excavation and fill construction.

Visualization and quantification of soil laboratory impact compaction

As important methods to guide the field soil compaction,the standard and modified Proctor tests for laboratory compaction have remained unchanged for decades,which should be improved to better understand the compaction process and the properties of soils.In this study,an accelerometer was installed on a Marshall impact compactor to capture the dynamic response of three types of soils during compaction.The experimental test results indicated that the acceleration curve for each blow gradually evolved to a stable pattern following the progress of compaction,and the impact and gyratory locking points were linearly related with coefficient of determination R2equal to 0.59.The impact compaction curve could be further constructed by filtering the structural resonance,which can be used to quantify the compactability of soil materials.Although each type of soil had a unique set of compaction curves,the slope and value of compaction curve altered accordingly as the moisture content changed for the same soil.In addition,the average acceleration value at the final compaction stage could serve as the target value of soil stiffness.

Influence of Tillage and Deep Rooted Cool Season Cover Crops on Soil Properties, Pests, and Yield Responses in Cotton

Soil compaction is a significant problem in the Southeastern USA. This compacted zone or hardpan limits root penetration below this layer and reduces potential yield and makes plants more susceptible to drought induced stresses. Soil compaction in this region is managed using costly annual deep tillage at or before planting and there is a great interest in reducing and/or eliminating annual tillage operations to lower production costs. Deep rooted cool season cover crops can penetrate this compacted soil zone and create channels, which cash crop roots, such as cotton, could follow to capture moisture and nutrients stored in the subsoil. The cool season cover crop roots would reduce the need for annual deep tillage prior to planting, increases soil organic matter, which provides greater water infiltration and available water holding capacity. Field studies were conducted for two years with three different soil series to determine the effects of tillage systems and cool season cover crops on the soil chemical and physical properties, yield responses, and pest pressure. Results showed that cool season cover crops significantly reduced soil compaction, increased cotton lint yield and soil moisture content, reduced nematode population densities, and increased soil available P, K, Mn, and organic matter content compared to the conventional no-cover crop.

Soil Physical Properties and Grain Yield Influenced by Cover Crops and Crop Rotation

The crop yield is related to several factors, among these, soil tillage, soil compaction and crop rotation. This study aimed to evaluate the winter cover crops and crop rotation influence on soil physical properties and grain yield of dry beans, maize and soybean for two growing seasons. Three experiments were conducted, corresponding to dry beans, maize and soybean crops. It was used the randomized block design with three treatments and four replications consisted by 3 × 10 m plots. The treatments were: two cover crops systems and crop rotation in no-till, and the control, consisting of winter fallow and conventional tillage. The cover crop dry matter, soil physical properties and grain yield for dry beans, maize and soybean in the two growing seasons were evaluated. Crop rotation systems and cover crops showed a trend to increase maize and soybean yields. Crop rotation in no-till increases soil compaction in the superficial layer compared to conventional tillage, but does not reduce the dry beans, maize and soybean yields.

The influence of soil compaction in explaining spatial heterogeneity of different larch forest types: a preliminary study

Compacted soil has an adverse effect on plant roots and affects water and nutrient availability.However,different degrees of soil compaction may be suitable for growth and development of different understory species.This study determined whether soil compaction could explain characteristics of 10 different Dahurian larch(Larix gmelinii Rupr.)forest types in the Daxing’anling area.The relationship of soil compaction to soil depth was also studied.Forty-five tests were conducted on soil compaction of the 10 forest types with multiple comparisons,of which five showed no significant differences.At different soil depths,there were significant differences in soil compaction among forest types.The correlation between the degree of soil compaction and depth was positive and significant.The Larix gmelinii—shrub forest type,L.gmelinii—herb forest type,and L.gmelinii—swamp forest type were significantly different in soil compaction according to soil depth.This research indicates that,as a physical property,soil compaction may.

Traditional mule logging method in Hyrcanian Forest: a study of the impact on forest stand and soil

We inventoried plant regeneration and soil compaction along mule trails to evaluate damage to forest stands and regeneration follow- ing mule hauling before and after operations in Kheyrud Forest in the Hyrcanian Forest in northern Iran. About 22% of regenerating plants on mule trails were damaged following mule logging, and damage to trees was observed. In harvested units after timber extraction, 4.3% of the total area （12 ha） was covered with mule trails. Mule passes and slope gradi- ent, and twofold interactions between mule passes x slope gradient had no significant effect on soil bulk density （p 〈 0,05）. Mule iogging had a statistically significant effect on soil bulk density along the mule trails before and after mule passes. Soil bulk density increased Significantly as mule passes increased in number. The degree and level of compaction did not differ with trail slope. With respect to damage to residual stands and seedlings, soil compaction and disturbance to soil, traditional mule log- ging is the preferred skidding method in the steep terrain conditions in the Hyrcanian Forest in northern Iran.

Influence of Skidding Operation on Forest Soil Respiration for Small Four-wheeled Tractors

The TJSD-750-Ⅱ type compactness measurement instrument and Li-8100 soil carbon flux automatic measurement system are used to measure soil compactness and soil respiration rate at different skidding roads. A regression model is established to analyze the correlation between soil respiration and its influencing factors. The results shows that the soil compaction on the main skidding road and sub skidding roads are larger than the control points, and the soil compaction on the main skidding road is larger than that on sub skidding roads. The higher the soil compactness is, the lower the rate of soil respiration is. This also leads to the lower sensitivity of soil respiration rate influenced by temperature and humidity.