Historical increase in agricultural machinery weights enhanced soil stress levels and adversely affected soil functioning

• Published in: Soil & tillage research Vol. 194; p. 104293
• Main Authors: Keller, Thomas, Sandin, Maria, Colombi, Tino, Horn, Rainer, Or, Dani
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.11.2019
• Subjects: agricultural machinery and equipment; agricultural mechanization; agricultural productivity; arable soils; bulk density; Crop productivity; crop yield; ecosystem services; farms; flood damage; Flooding; grains; historical records; Markvetenskap; resistance to penetration; Root elongation rate; root growth; roots; Saturated hydraulic conductivity; Soil compaction; soil depth; Soil Science; Soil stress; Sweden; tractors; traffic; water storage; weather; Yield stagnation; Sweden; Saturated hydraulic conductivity; Soil compaction; Root elongation rate; Flooding; Yield stagnation; Crop productivity; Soil stress

•Increase in farm vehicle weights has increased soil compaction levels.•Increasing compaction levels coincide with a stagnation in crop yields.•We speculate that the increasing compaction levels have increased flood events.•Compaction costs were estimated to several hundred M€ yr−1 for Sweden. Soil...