Soil compaction due to mechanized harvesting and loading
| MSI99P3210 | |
| Ng Cheong, L. R. Rivière, V. Jacquin, E. Soopramanien, C. | |
| Soil compaction due to mechanized harvesting and loading | |
| Periodical article | |
| 1999 | |
| Proc. int. Soc. Sug. Cane Technol. | |
| 23(2): 43-51 | |
| Paper presented at the ISSCT Congress, 22-26 February 1999, New Delhi, India | |
| En | |
| En | |
| In Mauritius, the extent of mechanized harvesting and mechanized loading differes (10 and 50 per cent of the crop respectively). there has been increasing concern among cane growers that traffic by heavy machinery would lead to soil compaction and subsequent yield losses. A trial was initiated in a humid area to study the effects of mechanized harvesting and loading on soil physical properties and cane yield using two treatments, namely manual harvesting followed by mechanized loading, and mechanized harvesting and loading. Soil bulk density and moisture content were measured over 3 years, infiltration rates were determined after 6th ratoon and cane yields at harvest were recorded over 5 years. It was found that immediately after harvest, compaction occurred in the rows and inter rows in both treatments and was most important at 10 cm depth, even though highest bulk density was measured at 20 cm. After 1 year, bulk density readings decreased aginn, most of the changes occurring at 10 cm. Stabilized infiltration rates were similar in interrows where harvesters and / or loaders had been used but were still six times lower than in traffic-free interrows. No significant difference was found in actual cane yields between the two treatments. There were therefore no further yield losses attributed to compaction by mechanized harvesters than those already caused by loaders. | |
| SUGARCANE HARVESTING MECHANICAL HARVESTING LOADING TRAFFIC SOIL COMPACTION BULK DENSITY INFILTRATION RATE YIELDS | |
| MAURITIUS | |
| Sugarcane: Cultural operations | |
| Mechanization | |
| 1999-04-29 | |
| En | |
| LIST | |
| IRRIG Mechan |