Tractor Traffic Effects on Hydraulic and Physical Soil Properties in Different Parts of Arable Fields

Modern agriculture uses a heavy tractor for cultural practices, and as a result, soil compaction can occur dramatically in the head of field caused by intensive traffic. Tractor traffic affects the essential physical soil properties with variable impact on the different parts of field. This research aims at understanding the effects of tractor traffics in different parts of fields on hydraulic and physical soil properties. This study was carried in arable fields of Belgium (Flanders region). Undisturbed soil cores were collected from topsoil (10–20 cm) layers, subsoil (30–60 cm) layers and the deeper subsoil (60–90 cm) layers to determine porosity and bulk density. Soil compaction levels in different parts of fields were determined by penetration resistance using a penetrologger and saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) using the KSATTM falling head method. The high compaction level was detected in the head part of all experimental fields. Soil bulk density significantly increases, resulting in values of up to 1.7 Mg m⁻³ in the topsoil and compacted subsoil layers from loams and sandy loams soils. Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) was significantly reduced by intensive tractor traffics in the head of fields. The results prove that different degrees of soil compaction could greatly influence hydraulic properties in different ways.