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While most dinosaurs were the size of
chickens—their size belies the sexiness of
it at museums, hence you don’t see them
being represented—many were as large as
a tank and just as heavy.
The sauropods—the heavy cow-like dinosaurs that
spent their existence eating vegetation and avoiding
predators—were even bigger.
For fans of the
Jurassic Park
movies (based on a pair
of books written by the late Michael Crichton), they
were the first creatures we spied on in the very first
movie, munching leaves from the tops of trees—up on
their hind legs to reach the tenderest greens.
Whether it’s the 26-ton Apatosaurus, the 33.6-ton
Brontosaurus, or the real heavyweight Argentinosaurus
at 85 tons, there’s no questioning that when they
moved, the earth shook, and things got trampled.
It’s that trampling due to excess weight that has some
in the ag community concerned.
According to a recent study in the May 24, 2022 edition
of
PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences)
researchers
Thomas Keller
(Department
of Soil & Environment,
Swedish University of
Agricultural Sciences
) and
Dani Or
(Department
of Environmental Systems Science,
Swiss Federal
Institute of Technology
in Zürich), farm equipment
has become so heavy—reaching the weight levels
of the largest sauropods—that it is causing subsoil
compaction in root zones below tillage depths that
affect soil functionality.
Our tractors and combines have indeed become
bigger, just as there is no denying that the
mechanization of farming has revolutionized farmers’
crop yield efficiency. But, as the study points out, a
higher capacity has resulted in heavier farm vehicles.
A laden combine harvester in 1958 weighed 4.4 tons,
while its 2020 counterpart can weigh just under 40
tons. That’s almost 10x heavier in the evolution of the
combine harvester.
The farm machinery’s weight increase over the years is
the result of increased power and capacity combined
with wider cutter boards and a larger grain tank
capacity, all of which provide an improved harvest
efficiency.
It should also be pointed out that tires for the farm
equipment have become larger, too, in both volume
and width. With greater flexibility, it allows for a lower
tire inflation pressure depending on the load for
floatation and traction and prevents the whole kit and
kaboodle from sinking into the soil.
It’s not a unique development, according to the
researchers. They point to animals such as camels
that must “float” over soft ground (the sand), and have
evolved with a relatively high footprint contact area.
The study states that “modern agricultural machinery
belongs to the floating category, with a high contact
area”—just like the sauropods.
We know that farmers understand that soils are
complex ecosystems consisting of fragile structures
like pores and pathways that allow water to reach roots
and air to circulate and allow beneficial organisms
to propagate. With every step we take on our soil, we
compact it just a little bit.
SOIL, FARM EQUIPMENT, AND DINOSAURS
New study states that heavy farm equipment is responsible for soil
compaction at depths below tillage levels affecting crop growth
ANDREW JOSEPH
FARMS.COM
PHOTOS: VeremeeV
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