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eISSN: 2083-5906
ISSN: 1230-1485
ISSN: 1230-1485
ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Variability of Selected Physical and Mechanical
Properties of Soil in Alfalfa Crop Production
1
Faculty of Engineering, Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Transport and Bioenergetics,
Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, 949 76 Nitra, Slovakia
2
Department of Horticultural Machinery, Faculty of Horticulture, Mendel University in Brno,
Valtická 337, 691 44 Lednice, Czech Republic
3
Faculty of Agriculture and Technology, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice,
Studentská 1668, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
Submission date: 2026-04-24
Final revision date: 2026-07-02
Acceptance date: 2026-07-24
Online publication date: 2026-10-02
Corresponding author
Ján Jobbágy
Institute of Agricultural Technology, Transport and Bioenergetics, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, 94901, Nitra, Slovak Republic
Institute of Agricultural Technology, Transport and Bioenergetics, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, 94901, Nitra, Slovak Republic
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
In recent years, studies have focused on monitoring soil compaction caused by agriculture. The aim
of the research presented in this article was to examine the impact of forage cultivation (organic farming)
on soil properties. Field measurements focused on monitoring the variability of soil moisture content
(SMC) and penetrometric resistance (PR) during alfalfa cultivation across 3 soil horizons. The study
area was a 47.64-hectare plot (Oponice, Slovak Republic) with a total of 21 monitoring points (MP).
Standardized methodologies and measurement techniques were used to monitor soil properties (WET
sensor with HH2 logger, Eikelkamp penetrometer). Statistical evaluation of the results was performed
using descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, deterministic spline interpolation (ArcGIS 10.0),
and cluster analysis (Orange). The results for soil moisture content indicate significant changes in
variability (horizons, dates). The coefficient of variation (CV) values for soil moisture content ranged
from 8.47% to 23.12%. A significant depth dependence of the measurements was observed (pilot
measurements: P<0.05, F=7.51). An examination of the relationship between individual measurement
periods showed that in selected horizons they were dependent (SMC01→SMC02, 0-20 cm,
21-40 cm; SMC02→SMC03, all horizons) and in the others they were independent (SMC01→SMC02,
41-60 cm). The average PR values showed the lowest heterogeneity in the deep soil horizon (CV: PR01,
59.81→16.52%; PR02, 41.97→31.25%; PR03, 38.86→21.22%). Comparisons of measured penetrometer
resistance values between irrigated and non-irrigated areas or between different measurement dates
showed weak to strong correlations (0.02-0.87; 1.68 to 2.72 MPa). The obtained results were also
subjected to deterministic and cluster analyses of penetrometric resistance, with the results indicating
significance among the measurements. The results obtained from soil moisture monitoring indicate that
soil moisture levels are balanced, but there are negative effects on soil compaction.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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| ISSN: | 1230-1485 |
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