Maximum soil density of Entisols as a function of silt content

• Main Authors: Djulia Taís Broch, Vilson Antonio Klein
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade Federal de Santa Maria 2017-11-01
• Series: Ciência Rural
• Subjects: Proctor test; silt; relative density
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0103-84782017001200251&lng=en&tlng=en

ABSTRACT: Degradation that occursin agricultural soils causes compaction.Soil density (DS) analysis has been reported to be an unreliable method of measuring the extent of soil compaction, because it varies with the soil granulometric composition and organic matter (OM)content. However, soil relative density (DR) is a good indicator that facilitates the measurement of the degree of compaction and thus, soil comparison and management techniques. Quotient between the DS and its maximum density (Dsmax) gives the DR. This study aimed to assess the effect of the granulometric composition on the physical-hydrological properties of the high-silt containing soils,under no tillage. Samples from disturbed and undisturbed structures of 18 soils were collected from the state of Rio Grandedo Sul following the no-tillage system. Once the granulometric size, OM content, soil density, maximum soil density and relative density were determined,the results indicated a drop in the Dsmax value when silt and MO were added;however, the addition of clay and clay-plus-silt revealed no significant effect. When the silt and MO content increased the soil density decreased. The DR, however, was not affected by either the granulometric composition or OM content. A difference was observed between the DR calculated from the determined Dsmax and that estimated by the Dsmax assessed based on the clay levels.Silt content was reported to exert a different influence on the physical-water properties of the silt soils than the clayey ones.