Soil compaction under the wheel of a sprayer

Soil degradation by artificial compaction is recognized by the European Union as a major environmental and agricultural problem. Artificial compaction has worsened with the intensification of mechanized agriculture where heavier machinery is used, often moving on soils with high moisture. Experimental research was designed to determine the influence of five wheel loads and tire inflation pressures, on the contact area, the shape of footprint and the contact pressure, under the wheel of a machine for high accuracy application of phytosanitary treatments in orchards. It was found that the only situation when compaction does not occur is when the tank is empty (2.45 kN wheel load), at lowest tire inflation pressure of 100 kPa. Subsoil compaction (at 0.3-0.4 m) occurs when the sprayer machine's tank is filled with different amounts of liquid. With empty tank, the sprayer only causes topsoil compaction.