THE RELATION BETWEEN BULK DENSITY, AVAILABLE WATER CAPACITY, AND AIR CAPACITY OF SOILS

1972 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 475-480 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. ARCHER ◽  
P. D. SMITH
2021 ◽  
Vol 67 (No. 3) ◽  
pp. 108-115
Author(s):  
Tanko Bako ◽  
Ezekiel Ambo Mamai ◽  
Istifanus Akila Bardey

Based on the hypothesis that soil properties and productivity components should be affected by different tillage methods, field and laboratory experiments were conducted to study the effects of zero tillage (ZT), one pass of disc plough tillage (P), one pass of disc plough plus one pass of disc harrow tillage (PH) and one pass of disc plough plus two passes of disc harrow tillage (PHH) on the distribution of the bulk density, available water capacity, pH, organic matter, available phosphorus, iron oxide and aluminium oxide at different soil depths, and their effects on the soil productivity. The available water capacity, pH, organic matter and available phosphorus were found to increase with the degree of tillage, while the bulk density, iron oxide and aluminium oxide were found to decrease with the degree of tillage. The results show that the soil productivity index was significantly (P ≤ 0.05) affected by the tillage methods and found to increase with the degree of tillage.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haojie Liu ◽  
Franziska Tanneberger ◽  
Bernd Lennartz

<p>In Central Europe, about 90% of fen peatlands have been drained for agriculture and forestry leading to greenhouse gas emissions and soil degradation. Soil available water capacity (AWC) is one of the most important soil properties regulating the water balance at a given site and plays, thus, a pivotal role in plant growth. Compared with that of mineral substrates, our understanding of the AWC of peat is limited. In this study, we aimed to deduce possible alterations of the AWC of peat following soil degradation. We analysed a comprehensive database (674 measurements from boreal and temperate peatlands) to seek relations between bulk density (BD) and total porosity, field capacity, wilting point, and AWC. Bulk density was used as a proxy for peat degradation as it is closely correlated with the soil organic matter content. The AWC increases gradually with BD up to a value of 0.2 g cm<sup>−3</sup>; a further increase in BD leads to a considerable decrease in AWC. The increase in AWC occurs within the first 15 to 30 years of land drainage, depending on the initial soil BD before drainage. The function between BD and AWC enables us to upscale the AWC to a regional scale. The average AWC of agricultural peatlands in Germany is estimated to be 37 ± 11 vol% (mean ± standard deviation). In Germany, the AWC decreases with increasing soil depth for highly degraded peatlands, which are characterised by BD values of 0.4 g cm<sup>−3</sup> > BD > 0.2 g cm<sup>−3</sup>. However, for extremely degraded peatlands (BD > 0.4 g cm<sup>−3</sup>), the AWC increases with increasing soil depth. For those highly and extremely degraded peatlands, we estimated that 1 wt% organic carbon loss causes a drop of 1.25 vol% in AWC. Peatland rewetting may increase soil AWC, however, plants may still suffer from a water deficit under extreme dry weather conditions.</p>


2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steffen Beck-Broichsitter ◽  
Heiner Fleige ◽  
Rainer Horn

AbstractDuring a period of 4 years, soil chemical and physical properties of the temporary capping system in Rastorf (Northern Germany) were estimated, whereby compost was partly used as soil improver in the upper recultivation layer. The air capacity and the available water capacity of soil samples were first determined in 2013 (without compost), and then in 2015 (with compost) under laboratory conditions. Herein, the addition of compost had a positive effect on: the air capacity up to 13.4 cm3cm−3; and the available water capacity up to 20.1 cm3cm−3in 2015, in the recultivation layer (0-20 cm). However, taking into account the in situ results of the tensiometer and frequency domain reflectometry measurements, the addition of compost had a negative effect. The soil-compost mixture led to restricted remoistening even after a normal summer drying period in autumn and induced more negative matric potentials in the recultivation layer. In summary, the soil-improving effect of the compost addition, in conjunction with an increased water storage capacity, is undeniable and was demonstrated in a combined field and laboratory study. Therefore, intensive hydrophobicity can inhibit the homogeneous remoistening of the soil, resulting in a decreased hydraulic effectiveness of the sealing system.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haojie Liu ◽  
Franziska Tanneberger ◽  
Bernd Lennartz

<p>In Germany, more than 95% of peatlands have been drained for agriculture and forestry leading to water as well as carbon storage loss, soil degradation, and water eutrophication. Soil available water capacity (AWC) is one of the most important soil properties regulating the water balance and plays a pivotal role in plant growth. Compared with that of mineral substrates, our understanding of the impact of land management on water storage and the AWC of peat is limited. In this study, we aimed to deduce possible alterations of the AWC and water storage of peat following land drainage and rewetting. We analyzed a comprehensive database (674 measurements from boreal and temperate peatlands) to seek relations between bulk density (BD), field capacity, wilting point, and AWC. Bulk density was used as a proxy for soil degradation. The AWC increases with BD up to a value of 0.2 g cm<sup>−3</sup>; a further increase in BD leads to a considerable decrease in AWC. The derived function between BD and AWC enables us to upscale the AWC to a regional scale. The average AWC of agricultural peatlands in Germany is estimated to be 37 ± 11 vol% (mean ± standard deviation). Currently, the water storage of agricultural peatlands in Germany is approximately 1.0 m<sup>3</sup> per m<sup>2</sup>. We estimated that water storage in the natural peatlands in Germany was 33.8 km<sup>3</sup> prior to drainage. Converting natural peatlands into agricultural land resulted in a water storage loss of approximately 18.6 km<sup>3</sup>. Several decades of peatland rewetting have a limited effect on water storage recovery due to a substantial loss of peat thickness because of former drainage and a low porosity of degraded peat.</p>


2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 243-250
Author(s):  
Mirosław Orzechowski ◽  
Jacek Długosz ◽  
Sławomir Smólczyński ◽  
Barbara Kalisz ◽  
Paweł Sowiński ◽  
...  

Abstract The paper presents the impact of UGmax enricher on soil physical and water retention properties. The experiment was established in 2005 in a 2 ha field 9 km from Lidzbark Warmiński in the village of Budniki. The studied soils were classified as Cambisols and Luvisols (IUSS Working Group WRB 2015), and they were formed from glaciolimnic deposits. Soil bulk density, soil particle density, texture, total porosity and water retention properties using low and high-pressure chambers were determined. The use of UGmax enricher on loamy soils used as arable lands in temperate climate of north-eastern Poland caused significant decrease of soil bulk density, increase of available water capacity and readily available water capacity. Statistically significant differences between examined soil properties were observed in most studied years.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 2791-2799
Author(s):  
Atiqah Aulia Hanuf ◽  
Sugeng Prijono ◽  
S Soemarno

Coffee plantation management has an important role in soil quality in order to increase coffee production. Biopore Infiltration Hole with Compost (BIHC) can increase soil available water capacity. In this study, the goal was to improve soil available water capacity in a coffee plantation with the implementation of the BIHC. This study was conducted at PTPN XII Bangelan, Malang, on March - August 2020. A randomized block design with seven treatments and four replications was used. The BIHC consisted of two-hole depths (30 cm and 60 cm) and two types of compost (goat manure and coffee pulp compost). The soil characteristics observed were water retention (pF) and C-organic at soil depths of 0-20, 20-40, and 40-60 cm. The coffee tree observed were number of leaves and chlorophyll content. Data obtained were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) by the F test and Duncan's Multiple Distance Rate Test (DMRT) at 5% probability, using SPSS program. Results of the study showed that BIHC was able to increase the content of soil C-organic and the available water capacity significantly compared with control treatment. The BIHC implementation could increase soil available water capacity up to 65% at a soil depth of 0-20 cm, up to 60% at a soil depth of 20-40 cm, and up to 51% at a soil depth of 40-60 cm more than the control treatment. The soil available water capacity suggested a significant positive correlation (p≤0.05) with the leaves number of coffee tree and chlorophyll content of leaves.


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