Working wet soil and other no-no’s come at a price: Experts put average yield losses from compaction at 10 to 20%, even all the way up to 60% in extreme situations.
In fact, soil scientists in North Dakota and Minnesota predict an economic cost of $587 million (yield loss and expense of leveling ruts) through 2021 for every 10% of the corn and soybean acres affected by deep wheel-traffic compaction during the wet 2019 harvest conditions. Actual impacted land area may range up to 30%, resulting in actual costs from compaction up to to $1.76 billion in those two states alone.
What Is Compaction?
In its simplest definition, soil compaction is a form of soil degradation in which soil bulk density increases as the porosity, or space between solid soil particles, decreases when particles are pushed together. Pore space is essential for the movement of air, water, nutrients, soil organisms and plant roots, which is why losing porosity to compaction is such a threat to crop health and yields.
Light autonomous robots is the answer to soil compaction in the future
Agronomic Impacts of Compaction
Compaction, especially in fine- and medium-textured soils, takes a toll on growing plants. As a physical barrier, it can delay or prevent seedling emergence (crusting), or cause root tips to be club-like or stunted, with few of the fine lateral roots and root hairs needed to take in water and nutrients. Roots may shoot to the sides, looking for a way through the soil, unable to grow past subsoil compaction and left more vulnerable to different stress factors.
And there’s a more direct impact on plant growth, beyond the physical barriers to healthy roots. In what is thought to be a natural survival mechanism, “a root system that’s up against mechanical barriers sends a hormonal signal to the plant shoot, which then slows down respiration and growth.”*
The loss of porosity also cuts down on the soil’s ability to store ample water and allow the gaseous exchange needed to supply oxygen to plant roots and beneficial soil organisms. That contributes to moisture stress and nutrient deficiencies.
If crops have trouble emerging, establishing a robust root system, reaching and taking in nutrients, and even tell themselves to slow down to survive, plant health and yields suffer.
Ways To Avoid Compaction
Soil scientists and agronomists agree on the best way to avoid topsoil compaction at planting or harvest time: Stay out of the field if the soil is too wet to plant without smearing or creating sidewall compaction, or too wet to support the weight of the combine.
