TY - JOUR

T1 - Quantifying the effects of repeated wheeling on soil physical conditions and maize growth in a Mollisol

AU - Huang, Xinjun

AU - Wang, Hengfei

AU - Horn, Rainer

AU - Ren, Tusheng

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2025 Elsevier B.V.

PY - 2025/5/22

Y1 - 2025/5/22

N2 - Soil compaction primarily stems from compression and shear stresses due to field wheeling processes. Laboratory studies have revealed the effects of these two types of stresses on soil structure and pore functions, but their consequences for soil properties and crop under field conditions need to be quantified. In this study, the temporal changes of soil physical conditions and maize growth under repeated wheeling were studied on a Mollisol. At field capacity, wheeling plots were created by a 10.4 Mg harvester with 1, 3, 5, and 21 wheeling passes (C1, C3, C5, and C21). Soil volume water content (θv) and matric potential (Ψ) were monitored during a maize growing season. The results showed that field soil deformed progressively with the increase of wheeling frequency: After 1, 3, 5, and 21 wheeling passes, the rut depths were 6.4 cm, 8.0 cm, 9.5 cm, and 13.7 cm, respectively. In response to soil compaction, the wheeling plots exhibited significant changes in soil water status with increased θv, less negative Ψ, greater water retention, but decreased water availability for plants, which lasted for the whole growing season. The C5 and C21 treatments frequently experienced waterlogging during the wet season and more severe cracking during the dry season. Compared to the control, the above-ground biomass of maize in the C1, C3, C5, and C21 treatments decreased by 14.5 %, 36.9 %, 37.0 %, and 56.4 %, respectively, and crop yield reduced by 9.7 %, 30.7 %, 38.4 %, and 59.7 %, respectively. At a load of 10.4 Mg, a threshold wheeling pass of two was recommended in the study area.

AB - Soil compaction primarily stems from compression and shear stresses due to field wheeling processes. Laboratory studies have revealed the effects of these two types of stresses on soil structure and pore functions, but their consequences for soil properties and crop under field conditions need to be quantified. In this study, the temporal changes of soil physical conditions and maize growth under repeated wheeling were studied on a Mollisol. At field capacity, wheeling plots were created by a 10.4 Mg harvester with 1, 3, 5, and 21 wheeling passes (C1, C3, C5, and C21). Soil volume water content (θv) and matric potential (Ψ) were monitored during a maize growing season. The results showed that field soil deformed progressively with the increase of wheeling frequency: After 1, 3, 5, and 21 wheeling passes, the rut depths were 6.4 cm, 8.0 cm, 9.5 cm, and 13.7 cm, respectively. In response to soil compaction, the wheeling plots exhibited significant changes in soil water status with increased θv, less negative Ψ, greater water retention, but decreased water availability for plants, which lasted for the whole growing season. The C5 and C21 treatments frequently experienced waterlogging during the wet season and more severe cracking during the dry season. Compared to the control, the above-ground biomass of maize in the C1, C3, C5, and C21 treatments decreased by 14.5 %, 36.9 %, 37.0 %, and 56.4 %, respectively, and crop yield reduced by 9.7 %, 30.7 %, 38.4 %, and 59.7 %, respectively. At a load of 10.4 Mg, a threshold wheeling pass of two was recommended in the study area.

KW - Maize growth

KW - Mollisol

KW - Repeated wheeling

KW - Soil compaction

KW - Soil structure

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105005600912&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.still.2025.106672

DO - 10.1016/j.still.2025.106672

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:105005600912

VL - 253

JO - Soil and Tillage Research

JF - Soil and Tillage Research

SN - 0167-1987

M1 - 106672

ER -