Controlled traffic farming: Study looks at advantages of system

A five-year-long study into controlled traffic farming has delved into some of the advantages and misconceptions of the system. See what the results found.

CONTROLLED traffic farming is a system that boasts healthier soils and greater crop yields, but is often overlooked by many growers as an expensive undertaking, with other drawbacks.

In a five-year-long research project by Grains Research and Development Corporation, these advantages and misconceptions of the CTF system were delved into, resulting in a marked increase in grower adoption of CTF where the project took place across South Australia, NSW and Victoria.

Agriculture Victoria land management development officer Rebecca Mitchell said a key driver of the research was an initial survey that found about 30 to 40 per cent of grain growers were using CTF systems. But in the low rainfall zone stretching across South Australia and NSW and Victoria adoption of the system dropped to 5 per cent.

CTF principally works to minimise soil compaction from large tractors and equipment by controlling traffic through paddocks to permanent wheel lines where the same equipment passes through year on year.

Ms Mitchell said soils under CTF systems were “lighter and more aerated, water and nutrients can move more easily through the soil, and the roots are much happier and the crops yield more”.

Farmers in the case study said they felt there was a yield increase when they transitioned to CTF farming and on average were seeing fuel savings of about 15 per cent.

“When you confine the traffic across farm to the same traffic lines they become much harder and more compacted so you get better traction with the machinery,” Ms Mitchell said.

“It takes less effort and fuel to move equipment across the paddock. You can move faster and access paddocks in more difficult and wet conditions.”

Part of the study, which compared the performance of plants on and off heavily trafficked lines in the paddock, found there was a 15 per cent yield penalty in wheat crops grown on compacted wheel tracks. Ms Mitchel said this yield loss was heavily reduced when adopting a CTF system.

“CTF has the ability to reduce farm traffic area of a property from 60 per cent in traditional systems to as low as 12 per cent,” she said.