A DSS for planning of soil-sensitive field operations

The current increased size of agricultural vehicles aggravates the problem of soil compaction causing increased energy requirements, increased CO2 emissions, and reduced yields. The aim of this paper was to develop a DSS for optimize route planning in terms of minimized risk for soil compaction for agricultural vehicles carrying time-depended loads. The developed system uses as input field and operational characteristics, including a potential risk indicator map based on specific measure of distributed soil physical-chemical properties. It provides the optimal field-work tracks traversal sequence which can be executed using state-of-the-art auto-steering and navigation-aiding systems available on modern agricultural vehicles. The system has been demonstrated and tested for heavy application units used for organic fertilizer. The risk factor was reduced up to 61% by using the corresponding optimal plans instead of the non-optimal conventional ones that an operator would follow. Highlights? Route planning for agricultural vehicles carrying time-depended loads. ? Evaluating potential risk for soil compaction imposed by field traffic. ? Integration of soil-sensitivity indicators and navigation systems.