Abstract
Harvesting alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.) results in plants being subjected to traffic at different times during the growth cycle with equipment having different wheel sizes and loads. The affect of this traffic could have important ramifications on yield. The objectives of this study were to determine the long‐term effects of harvest traffic and soil compaction on alfalfa yield. In the first experiment, two conventional traffic systems were compared to alfalfa production with no traffic. A single traffic event, that covered 100% of the plot area 3 to 5 d after each swathing, compared to no traffic significantly decreased yield by 20% in the 1st yr, 16.5% in the 2nd yr, 14% in the 3rd yr, with no significant difference the 4th yr. There was no difference in total yield between nontrafficked and a typical grower's traffic pattern the 1st yr, but in the succeeding 3 yr there was a 5 to 17% reduction. The effects of soil compaction and harvest traffic on yield were separated in the second experiment. Alfalfa grown in moderately and heavily compacted soil had a 12 and 26% decrease respectively in seasonal total yield compared to the yield from plants grown in noncompacted soil the 1st yr. Annual yields were the same regardless of the degree of soil compaction in the 3rd yr. When harvest traffic was applied to alfalfa grown in extremely compacted soil there was an additional decrease in yield. It was not statistically significant the 1st yr, but in the following 2 yr, 1987 and 1988, yield was significantly reduced by 17.8 and 19.1%, respectively. Alfalfa yields were significantly reduced both by harvest traffic and compacted soil. To achieve optimum long‐term alfalfa yields compacted soil must be tilled before planting and operations that reduce the area of the field subjected to traffic must be implemented.
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Claims 14
Claim · model-written summary
A single post-swathing traffic event reduced first-year yield by 20% relative to no traffic.
- Taxon
- alfalfa
Medicago sativat0 - Treatment
- A single traffic event, that covered 100% of the plot area 3 to 5 d after each swathinge0
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- decreasede0
- Value
- 20%e0
- Qualifier
- 1st yre0
- Comparator
- no traffice0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“A single traffic event, that covered 100% of the plot area 3 to 5 d after each swathing, compared to no traffic significantly decreased yield by 20% in the 1st yr”
t0“Alfalfa”
Claim · model-written summary
The single traffic event reduced second-year yield by 16.5%.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- A single traffic evente0
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- decreasede0
- Value
- 16.5%e0
- Qualifier
- 2nd yre0
- Comparator
- no traffice0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“A single traffic event, that covered 100% of the plot area 3 to 5 d after each swathing, compared to no traffic significantly decreased yield by 20% in the 1st yr, 16.5% in the 2nd yr”
t0“Alfalfa Yield”
Claim · model-written summary
The single traffic event reduced third-year yield by 14%.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- A single traffic evente0
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- decreasede0
- Value
- 14%e0
- Qualifier
- 3rd yre0
- Comparator
- no traffice0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“A single traffic event, that covered 100% of the plot area 3 to 5 d after each swathing, compared to no traffic significantly decreased yield by 20% in the 1st yr, 16.5% in the 2nd yr, 14% in the 3rd yr”
t0“Alfalfa Yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Single-event traffic did not significantly differ from no traffic in fourth-year yield.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- A single traffic evente0
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- no significant differencee0
- Qualifier
- 4th yre0
- Comparator
- no traffice0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“A single traffic event, that covered 100% of the plot area 3 to 5 d after each swathing, compared to no traffic significantly decreased yield by 20% in the 1st yr, 16.5% in the 2nd yr, 14% in the 3rd yr, with no significant difference the 4th yr.”
t0“Alfalfa Yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Typical grower traffic did not differ in first-year total yield from no traffic.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- a typical grower's traffic patterne0
- Outcome
- total yielde0
- Direction
- no differencee0
- Qualifier
- 1st yre0
- Comparator
- nontraffickede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“There was no difference in total yield between nontrafficked and a typical grower's traffic pattern the 1st yr”
t0“Alfalfa”
Claim · model-written summary
Typical grower traffic reduced total yield by 5 to 17% in the succeeding three years.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- a typical grower's traffic patterne0
- Outcome
- total yielde0
- Direction
- reductione0
- Value
- 5 to 17%e0
- Qualifier
- succeeding 3 yre0
- Comparator
- nontraffickede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“There was no difference in total yield between nontrafficked and a typical grower's traffic pattern the 1st yr, but in the succeeding 3 yr there was a 5 to 17% reduction.”
t0“Alfalfa”
Claim · model-written summary
Moderate soil compaction reduced first-year seasonal yield by 12% relative to uncompacted soil.
- Taxon
- AlfalfaMedicago sativae0
- Treatment
- moderatelye0
- Outcome
- seasonal total yielde0
- Direction
- decreasee0
- Value
- 12 and 26%e0
- Qualifier
- 1st yre0
- Comparator
- noncompacted soile0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Alfalfa grown in moderately and heavily compacted soil had a 12 and 26% decrease respectively in seasonal total yield compared to the yield from plants grown in noncompacted soil the 1st yr.”
t0“Alfalfa Yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Heavy soil compaction reduced first-year seasonal yield by 26% relative to uncompacted soil.
- Taxon
- AlfalfaMedicago sativae0
- Treatment
- heavily compacted soile0
- Outcome
- seasonal total yielde0
- Direction
- decreasee0
- Value
- 26%e0
- Qualifier
- 1st yre0
- Comparator
- noncompacted soile0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Alfalfa grown in moderately and heavily compacted soil had a 12 and 26% decrease respectively in seasonal total yield compared to the yield from plants grown in noncompacted soil the 1st yr.”
t0“Alfalfa Yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Third-year annual yield was the same across soil compaction degrees.
- Taxon
- AlfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- soil compactione0
- Outcome
- Annual yieldse0
- Direction
- the samee0
- Qualifier
- 3rd yre0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Annual yields were the same regardless of the degree of soil compaction in the 3rd yr.”
t0“Alfalfa”
Claim · model-written summary
Traffic on extremely compacted soil caused an additional yield decrease that was not significant in the first year.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae0
- Treatment
- harvest traffice0
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- decreasee0
- Qualifier
- extremely compacted soile0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“When harvest traffic was applied to alfalfa grown in extremely compacted soil there was an additional decrease in yield. It was not statistically significant the 1st yr”
Claim · model-written summary
Traffic on extremely compacted soil reduced yield by 17.8% in 1987.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae0
- Treatment
- harvest traffice0
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 17.8 and 19.1%e0
- Qualifier
- 1987e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“When harvest traffic was applied to alfalfa grown in extremely compacted soil there was an additional decrease in yield. It was not statistically significant the 1st yr, but in the following 2 yr, 1987 and 1988, yield was significantly reduced by 17.8 and 19.1%, respectively.”
t0“Alfalfa Yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Traffic on extremely compacted soil reduced yield by 19.1% in 1988.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae0
- Treatment
- harvest traffice0
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 19.1%e0
- Qualifier
- 1988e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“When harvest traffic was applied to alfalfa grown in extremely compacted soil there was an additional decrease in yield. It was not statistically significant the 1st yr, but in the following 2 yr, 1987 and 1988, yield was significantly reduced by 17.8 and 19.1%, respectively.”
t0“Alfalfa Yield”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend tilling compacted soil before planting for optimal long-term alfalfa yield.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativae0
- Outcome
- compacted soil must be tilled before plantinge0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“To achieve optimum long‐term alfalfa yields compacted soil must be tilled before planting”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend operations that reduce traffic-exposed field area.
- Taxon
- AlfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Outcome
- operations that reduce the area of the field subjected to traffic must be implementede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“operations that reduce the area of the field subjected to traffic must be implemented.”
t0“Alfalfa”
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tillage · yield · Medicago sativa (alfalfa)Positive and negative results
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