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Alfalfa Root Development and Shoot Regrowth in Compact Soil of Wheel Traffic Patterns 1
Author(s) -
Grimes D. W.,
Sheesley W. R.,
Wiley P. L.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
agronomy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1435-0645
pISSN - 0002-1962
DOI - 10.2134/agronj1978.00021962007000060016x
Subject(s) - loam , soil compaction , agronomy , san joaquin , postharvest , environmental science , shoot , greenhouse , compaction , horticulture , biology , soil water , soil science , geology , geotechnical engineering
Reduced growth and fewer plants are common in wheel paths of post harvest equipment in alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.) fields of the San Joaquin Valley. Up to 70% of the soil surface may be covered by equipment wheels in a single harvest. Field and glasshouse studies were conducted to quantify plant and soil responses to wheel traffic in confined paths scheduled to simulate harvest operations. Three field compaction treatments simulated harvest, postharvest, and harvest plus postharvest wheel traffic. A no‐traffic area served as a control treatment. Compaction of a sandy loam soil (Typic Xerorthents) in traffic zones reduced root‐length density (cm of root per cm 3 of soil) as much as 60% in a 15‐to‐30‐cm depth zone. Postharvest traffic reduced plant population and yield by damaging crowns and regrowth shoots. Field observations on soil‐compaction root‐growth relations were substantiated by a glasshouse study that char. acterized alfalfa root‐length density (R d , cm of root per cm 3 of soil) as a function of soil bulk density (D s , g cm −3 ) and time (T, days) as R d = −23.51 +27.88D s +0.2210T −9.135D, s 2 −0.0003548T 3 −0.08360D s T, R 2 = 0.84. Root growth in a field study was enhanced by delaying the harvest for newly established seedings.