Soil Compaction and Its Impact on Soil Properties and Cotton Yield

As growers have increased their farm size for the economy of scale, they have adopted larger equipment to cover the acres and have less flexibility on field operations.  In many cases, this leads to driving heavier equipment across moist or even saturated soils which can substantially increase soil compaction.  In many of the cotton production regions in Texas and the Cotton Belt, cotton is grown on clay soils with low organic matter.  These types of soils are highly productive but are highly prone to soil compaction.  Compacted soils have a reduced water holding capacity, decrease infiltration, and have other detrimental impacts on cotton production.  Additionally, remediation through deep tillage is expensive and the long-term value of deep tillage is unknown.  This presentation will discuss the importance of soil compaction for cotton production, the impact compaction on penetrometer data, water infiltration rates, and water holding capacity, and possible management strategies for mitigating the compaction.