Spatiotemporal variation of soil compaction by tractor traffic passes in a Croatian vineyard

Abstract

Vineyards are intensively managed with machinery, leading to negative impacts on soil compaction and moisture, which can decrease grape productivity and quality. However, there is a lack of investigations at the Pedon scale related to the spatio-temporal distribution of soil compaction in vineyards .The aim of the study was to quantify the impacts of tractor traffic passes on Bulk Density(BD) and Soil Water Content (SWC), in a Croatian vineyard. Soil properties were measured at different depths (0-10, 10-20 and 20-30 cm), seasons (before, during and after summer), and at three different zones subject to different management actions: Grass Covered inter-row (GC), Tilled inter-row (T) and tilled row (R). The main effects of tractor traffic passes were found at the 0-10 cm soil depth. Soil BD was significantly higher after summer than before and during summer. At 0-10 cm, SWC was significantly lower during summer than before and after. At 10-20 and 20-30 cm depths, SWC was higher in all zones, showing no significant differences between them at each depth. Significant positive correlations between BD and SWC were identified in the T zone after summer, although increased traffic decreased the SWC. Wheel traffic increased BD, which we can attribute to the high SWC. Nevertheless, this increase was agronomically not relevant. Such findings should be considered in order to control soil compaction in vineyards through environmentally-friendly soil management practices.