Effects of Wheel Traffic Porosity and Compaction of Soil Profile

The aim of this experimental study was to determine the effect on soil porosity and compaction of the number of the tractor passes on the soil surface. The soil has a sandy loam texture. A tractor passed once, twice, and four times while the water content of soil was near field capacity. Numbers of tractings increased soil bulk density and compaction, and decreased total porosity, void ratio, air porosity and drainage porosity. One and two tractor passes did not markedly affect the percentage of porosity kept at field capacity porosity, but four tractor passes improved it.