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Better farm soil health
request a quoteBetter Farm Soil Health
Understanding Soil Health
Healthy soil is the foundation of your successful farm. It supports plant growth, enhances water retention, and promotes soil biodiversity for higher yields. Valtra is committed to maintaining soil health for sustainable agriculture and long-term farmer productivity and prosperity.
The first line of defence in safeguarding soil health is to protect the soil's structure. Valtra tractors have a low own weight and come with a range of ballasting options to ensure your soil stays in peak condition. Together with our partners, Valtra offers a range of options and technologies that further support your soil health by minimising compaction and slippage, while maximising traction and fuel efficiency. Together with the AGCO Global Agronomy and Farm Solutions team, Valtra invests in research to identify best practices and develop techniques to improve yields and efficiencies.
Reducing soil compaction with the right tyres
Using the right tyres with the right tyre pressures improves field efficiency, saves fuel, improves soil productivity, and ensures you get the best handling and reduced roll resistance.
A 38% increase in rolling resistance increases fuel consumption by 5%. At a typical 25 litres per hour, this equates to an increase of 1.25 litres per hour in fuel consumption. In addition, a 1 cm increase in soil compaction can lead to a 10% increase in energy loss through the resistive effect of the tractor tyres having to push the soil in front of them.
Agricultural tyre options
Through our partner network, Valtra offers the best agricultural tyres. For example, the Nokian Tyres VF tyres allow for 6% more treated area per working hour and 8% lower fuel consumption in cultivation work.
Read more in our expert guest blog: Multi-level benefits: New, advanced VF tyres for agriculture save both fuel and protect your soil.
Protecting your farm's soil with the right tyre pressures
A 1% higher yield due to reduced soil compaction is worth 21 EUR/ha*. By working with the appropriate tyre pressures the tractor's weight is spread over a greater surface area, reducing soil compaction. This also improves traction and minimises slippage, thus improving fuel efficiency. Research by Valtra and the AGCO Global Agronomy and Farm Solutions team has shown that tyre pressures as low as 0.6 bar reduced soil compaction by 17% while improving field efficiency by 1.8%.
Agronomic benefits of tyre inflation systems
Studies have shown that driving with a tyre inflation system can reduce soil compaction by as much as 30% compared to driving with standard tyre pressures. Read the blog to find out how the Valtra Central Tyre Inflation System reduces soil compaction, lowers slippage, and improves field fuel efficiency.
AGCO Agronomy tyre pressure study
The AGCO Global Agronomy and Farm Solutions team undertook field studies to test the effects of working with different tyre pressures on soil compaction and fuel efficiency.
In this video, research lead AGCO Agronomy and Farm Solutions Manager, Jens Christian Jensen explains the methodology of the study demonstrating how a Valtra Q305 equipped with the Valtra CTIS reduced soil compaction by 17% and improved field fuel efficiency by 7%
Central tyre inflation system
Our intelligent central tyre inflation system saves time and money while protecting the structure of your soil. The inflation system fitted by Unlimited is controlled via ISOBUS and displays actual tyre pressures on the SmartTouch screen. Use pre-programmed SmartTouch buttons to set the ideal pressures to improve rolling resistance (both in the field and on the road), reduce track depth and soil compaction, lower fuel consumption by up to 10-15 per cent, and reduce tyre wear.
CTIS AND CTIS PRO
Valtra offers two factory-fitted Central Tyre Inflation Systems (CTIS).
The Valtra CTIS is available for Valtra N, T, Q, and S Series tractors and uses the tractor's air compressor to fill the tyres to the desired pressure.
CTIS Pro is available for Valtra Q and S Series tractors and has an external air compressor for even faster tyre inflation. The external compressor is compact and has low power requirements.
