Journal
LAND
Volume 11, Issue 2, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/land11020223
Keywords
degree of compaction; soil penetration resistance; relative normalised density; air-filled porosity; tillage; straw incorporation; bio-drilling crops; subsoiling; crop productivity
Categories
Funding
- European Union [677407]
- Swedish Farmers' Foundation for Agricultural Research [O-18-23-141]
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Soil compaction is a major threat to agriculture in Europe, affecting various ecosystem functions. Short-term case studies conducted in different locations within the SoilCare project showed that soil-improving cropping systems (SICSs) have promising potential in mitigating soil compaction. However, the effects of SICSs on yields were generally small, and there were difficulties in implementing these systems. Further refinement and evaluation of SICSs under different pedoclimatic conditions are needed.
Soil compaction (SC) is a major threat for agriculture in Europe that affects many ecosystem functions, such as water and air circulation in soils, root growth, and crop production. Our objective was to present the results from five short-term (<5 years) case studies located along the north-south and east-west gradients and conducted within the SoilCare project using soil-improving cropping systems (SICSs) for mitigating topsoil and subsoil SC. Two study sites (SSs) focused on natural subsoil (>25 cm) compaction using subsoiling tillage treatments to depths of 35 cm (Sweden) and 60 cm (Romania). The other SSs addressed both topsoil and subsoil SC (>25 cm, Norway and United Kingdom; >30 cm, Italy) using deep-rooted bio-drilling crops and different tillage types or a combination of both. Each SS evaluated the effectiveness of the SICSs by measuring the soil physical properties, and we calculated SC indices. The SICSs showed promising results-for example, alfalfa in Norway showed good potential for alleviating SC (the subsoil density decreased from 1.69 to 1.45 g cm(-1)) and subsoiling at the Swedish SS improved root penetration into the subsoil by about 10 cm-but the effects of SICSs on yields were generally small. These case studies also reflected difficulties in implementing SICSs, some of which are under development, and we discuss methodological issues for measuring their effectiveness. There is a need for refining these SICSs and for evaluating their longer-term effect under a wider range of pedoclimatic conditions.
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