Soil Compaction Prevention, Amelioration and Alleviation Measures Are Effective in Mechanized and Smallholder Agriculture: A Meta-Analysis

Peipei Yang, Wenxu Dong, Marius Heinen, Wei Qin and Oene Oenema
Additional contact information
Peipei Yang: Department of Soil Quality, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
Wenxu Dong: Hebei Key Laboratory of Soil Ecology, Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 286 Huaizhong Road, Shijiazhuang 050021, China
Marius Heinen: Team Soil, Water and Land Use, Wageningen Environmental Research, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
Wei Qin: College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Oene Oenema: Department of Soil Quality, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 5, 1-18

Abstract: Background: The compaction of subsoils in agriculture is a threat to soil functioning. Measures aimed at the prevention, amelioration, and/or impact alleviation of compacted subsoils have been studied for more than a century, but less in smallholder agriculture. Methods: A meta-analysis was conducted to quantitatively examine the effects of the prevention, amelioration, and impact alleviation measures in mechanized and small-holder agriculture countries, using studies published during 2000~2019/2020. Results: Mean effect sizes of crop yields were large for controlled traffic (+34%) and irrigation (+51%), modest for subsoiling, deep ploughing, and residue return (+10%), and negative for no-tillage (−6%). Mean effect sizes of soil bulk density were small (<10%), suggesting bulk density is not a sensitive ‘state’ indicator. Mean effect sizes of penetration resistance were relatively large, with large variations. Controlled traffic had a larger effect in small-holder farming than mechanized agriculture. Conclusion: We found no fundamental differences between mechanized and smallholder agriculture in the mean effect sizes of the prevention, amelioration, and impact alleviation measures. Measures that prevent soil compaction are commonly preferred, but amelioration and alleviation are often equally needed and effective, depending on site-specific conditions. A toolbox of soil compaction prevention, amelioration, and alleviation measures is needed, for both mechanized and smallholder agriculture.

Keywords: compacted subsoils; crop yield; mechanized agriculture; smallholder agriculture; soil bulk density; soil penetration resistance; tillage (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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