Maatregelen voor het herstel van verdichte bodems

Soil compaction due to agricultural vehicle traffic is recognized as one of the major threats to soil productivity, and soil ecological and hydrological functioning. In this research, which is part of the EJP SOIL SoilCompaC project, an extensive literature review on recovery techniques was conducted combined with data from current recovery field experiments. An overview was made of past and running experiments on recovery methods in different countries to characterize the rate of recovery by different processes and the relative importance of the recovery mechanisms across pedo-climatic zones. The review includes mechanical (tillage), biological (“biosubsoiling”) and natural methods. The focus of this research was made on the compacted subsoil below the plough sole (25-50 cm b.s.). This means that the focus with this is on arable farming however most of the recovery techniques can also be applied to grassland. In the past, the choice was often made to mechanically crack the compacted soil. This resulted in short-term improvement but recompaction occurred several years later. The main disadvantage of mechanical methods is that often the complete soil structure is disturbed, which strongly reduces the mechanical strength and moisture delivery capacity. Most promising for the long-term melioration of compacted arable land is the use of deep-rooting plants: biosubsoilers.