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Effect of soil aeration in minimising/alleviating soil compaction and sward damage in grassland.
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1999-05-01
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Fortune, R.A., Forristal, P.D., Kelly, F., Effect of soil aeration in minimising/alleviating soil compaction and sward damage in grassland, End of Project Reports, Teagasc, 1999.
Abstract
Due to increased farmer interest in mechanical spiking as a method for alleviating
soil compaction in grassland, a series of experiments was conducted from 1995-
98. Experiments comparing single (one year only in spring and autumn) or annual
spiking in spring and autumn were conducted at: Oak Park, Carlow; Knockbeg,
Co. Laois; Kilmaley, Co. Clare; and Solohead, Co. Tipperary under grazing and
silage management regimes.
While there were differences between spiked and unspiked treatments, these were
usually small and inconsistent. The results of these experiments show that routine
spiking of grassland is unlikely to produce any yield benefits. Spiking may be
beneficial where specific shallow compaction problems occur but is unlikely to
alleviate the effects of wheel traffic.