Effect of soil aeration in minimising/alleviating soil compaction and sward damage in grassland.

摘要

Due to increased farmer interest in mechanical spiking as a method for alleviatingsoil compaction in grassland, a series of experiments was conducted from 1995-98. Experiments comparing single (one year only in spring and autumn) or annualspiking in spring and autumn were conducted at: Oak Park, Carlow; Knockbeg,Co. Laois; Kilmaley, Co. Clare; and Solohead, Co. Tipperary under grazing andsilage management regimes.While there were differences between spiked and unspiked treatments, these wereusually small and inconsistent. The results of these experiments show that routinespiking of grassland is unlikely to produce any yield benefits. Spiking may bebeneficial where specific shallow compaction problems occur but is unlikely toalleviate the effects of wheel traffic.