Evaluation of pedotransfer and measurement approaches to avoid soil compaction

On-farm approaches are needed to help farmers avoid soil compaction. It is the purpose of this paper to document the experience of using the Horn and Fleige [Horn, R., Fleige, H., 2003. A method for assessing the impact of load on mechanical stability and on physical properties of soils. Soil Till. Res. 73, 89–99] procedures to develop improved guidance to help farmers avoid compaction in agricultural operations in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, USA. A soil characterization database for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, USA, was used to provide input to the Horn and Fleige [Horn, R., Fleige, H., 2003. A method for assessing the impact of load on mechanical stability and on physical properties of soils. Soil Till. Res. 73, 89–99] approach to estimate the pre-consolidation stress and the maximum depth of compaction for 29 agricultural soils in Pennsylvania. The Horn and Fleige [Horn, R., Fleige, H., 2003. A method for assessing the impact of load on mechanical stability and on physical properties of soils. Soil Till. Res. 73, 89–99] approach was tentatively validated using previously measured pre-consolidation stress or penetration resistance values measured on five of the 29 soils. The estimated maximum depth of compaction indicated that an 89-kN (10-ton) axle load was excessive in almost all cases for soils at matric potentials of −33 and −6 kPa for both tillage and no-till management. A 53-kN (6-ton) axle load was acceptable for most cases when tillage was planned to a 0.20-m depth, but was excessive in most cases for no-till management at a matric potential of −6 kPa while mostly acceptable for no-till management at a matric potential of −33 kPa. Penetration resistance measurements are recommended to decide when a load is excessive.