The effect of agricultural tractor traffic on some physical properties of the soil

Abdalla Ahmed Mohamed Adda; Maryam Thabit Kanimi Alamari

doi:10.58916/jhas.v11i3.1171

Authors

Abdalla Ahmed Mohamed Adda Department of Soil and Water, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Sebha, Sebha, Libya Author
Maryam Thabit Kanimi Alamari Department of Soil and Water, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Sebha, Sebha, Libya Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58916/jhas.v11i3.1171

Keywords:

Heavy weight, bulk density, porosity, hydraulic conductivity, soil physical properties

Abstract

To investigate the impact of the loads generated by heavy machinery used in agricultural operations on some soil physical properties, a field study was conducted at a farm in the city of Sebha. The soil study was sandy-loam in texture. A Jada 258 agricultural tractor with rubber tyres was used, and it was driven over the area multiple times: 0, 1, 3, 2, 4, and 5 times to determine the effect of the tractor’s weight and the number of passes on each of: bulk density, porosity, and saturated hydraulic conductivity of the studied soil. The experiment was designed using a completely randomized design with three replicates, and the data were statistically analyzed using ANOVA to identify differences among treatments. Results showed that multiple passes by the agricultural tractor had a significant effect on the soil physical properties studied, as it led to an increase in bulk density and a decrease in both porosity and saturated hydraulic conductivity of the studied soil at a moisture content of 18% by weight.