Impact of soil water content and core sampler diameter at sampling for dry soil fragment-size distributions

Martín Díaz-Zorita, John H. Grove, Ed Perfect

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Soil conditions at sampling and the dimensions of the sample are critical factors when soil aggregation is indirectly characterized by determining the distribution of soil fragments. Our objective was to determine the effects of gravimetric soil water content and core sampler diameter (16, 54, and 84 mm) at sampling on the dry-fragment-size distribution of two soils (Typic Paleudalf and Typic Hapludalf) under undisturbed Festuca arundinacea L. sod and recently rototilled treatments. The 16-mm core diameter sampler compressed the rototilled soil, and it was not appropriate for soil aggregation studies. The fragmentation of samples taken with core diameters greater than 54 mm decreased with decreasing soil water content. A greater probability of discriminating between undisturbed and fragmented silt loam or clay loam soils was observed when sampling with a 54-mm-diameter probe and when the soil had a mean soil water content of 237g kg-1 or at a potential of -0.61MPa.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2752-2767
Number of pages16
JournalCommunications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis
Volume39
Issue number17-18
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2008

Keywords

  • Dry sieving
  • Methods
  • Soil structure
  • Tillage

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Agronomy and Crop Science
  • Soil Science

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