Soil health
Collaboration aims to combat soil compaction
T
yre maker Continen- tal has teamed up with ADAS and John Deere to
highlight ways technology can improve soil health. Farming practices must
change to protect the productiv- ity of UK agriculture, says Con- tinental tyre specialist Richard Hutchins, who has been work- ing with David Purdy from John Deere and ADAS principal soil scientist John Williams. Up to 30% of UK soils are said to be severely degraded – costing around £1bn annual- ly. Degradation is linked to the loss of organic matter which ac- counts for 47% of the total cost, while compaction is 39%. “Where soils have been placed in this category, there is very little porosity and the soil has become grey and com-
pacted, making it diffi cult for crops to root and for the land to drain,” says Mr Williams.
Avoiding damage Continental’s new research and development facility in Portugal is producing tyres to help offset potential damage from heavy machines. They include very high fl exion (VF) tyres with a single bead wire that can be run at lower pressures.
VF tyres carry 40% more load than a standard tyre at the same pressure. Alternatively, pressure of VF tyres can be lowered by 40% in the fi eld compared to standard tyres, even when carrying the same load.
“This spreads the weight of
the vehicle over a larger sur- face area and reduces soil com-
paction,” says Mr Hutchins. The weight of farm vehicles and the tyre pressures chosen are a ma- jor contributor to soil compac- tion.”
Increased axle weights,
caused by heavy implements and more powerful machines, should be offset by tyres that can spread this weight. Damage to topsoil is caused by incorrect tyre infl ation, while heavy axle loads causes subsoil compaction. “Both should be addressed to minimise the impact farming has,” explains Mr Purdy. Continental’s recently in- troduced ContiPressureCheck sensors monitors the pressure and temperature of tyres to pro- vide the operator with the infor- mation to prevent tyre related issues such as underinfl ation or overloading.
Farmers are being warned to tread carefully on wet ground
20 MIDLAND FARMER • AUGUST 2021
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