scholarly journals The effects of soil compactness on the burrowing performance of sympatric eastern and hairy-tailed moles

2016 ◽  
Vol 301 (4) ◽  
pp. 310-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y.-F. Lin ◽  
A. Chappuis ◽  
S. Rice ◽  
E. R. Dumont
Keyword(s):  
2005 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 150-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aki Kubota ◽  
Kent Hoshiba ◽  
Jorge Bordon

A no-tillage soybean-wheat cropping system has been practiced for many years on the "Terra Rossa" soils of eastern Paraguay. Soil compactness and soil erosion have recently been identified as potential problems. This study examines the effect of replacing unprofitable wheat by green-manure turnip (Raphanus sativus L. var. oleiferus Metzg.) on soil properties and soybean production. Gaseous phase, porosity, bulk density, water saturation, cone index, pH, exchangeable-cations, available-phosphorus (P) and aggregate size distribution of the soil were measured. Contrary to initial expectations, turnip did not reduce soil compactness. Instead, turnip stabilized the aggregate structure of the surface soil. Positive effects of turnip on subsequent soybean growth and yield were detected in a rather dry year but not in an exceptionally wet year. In a second part of this study, nutrient return from turnip and wheat residues were compared. Turnip produced 10.7 t ha-1 of shoot dry matter, and absorbed 294, 27, 302, 175, and 33 kg ha-1 of N, P, K, Ca, and Mg, respectively. Wheat absorbed 98, 11, 67, 11, and 7 kg ha-1 of N, P, K, Ca, and Mg, respectively. About 75% of the N absorbed by wheat was removed from the field at harvest whereas most nutrients in the turnip residue were returned to the soil before planting of soybeans with positive effects on soil fertility. Additional benefits of green-manure turnip would include a reduced chance for erosion through improvements in aggregate structure and through a more complete soil cover.


1936 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claude Culpin

The need for physical measurements of soil structure to assist in studies of the relation between cultivation implements and plant growth is pressing.The nature and measurement of soil compactness and consolidation are briefly discussed. Measurements of soil resistance give an indication of consolidation rather than of compactness.An instrument used for the measurement of soil resistance is described, with some notes upon its performance.A brief outline is given of studies on soil structure in relation to gyrotilling. It is shown that the soil-resistance apparatus described gives results similar to those obtained by the use of the drawbar dynamometer in ploughing. A relation between soil resistance and plant growth is demonstrated.


Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 797
Author(s):  
Mariusz Kormanek ◽  
Janusz Gołąb

Skidding is considered to be one of the most stressful works for the forest environment. This paper presented the results obtained from the analysis of soil deformation and selected physical and mechanical parameters of soils on skid trails in the Gorce National Park. The study analyzed two horse and tractor skid trails that are in continuous use in the park. Measurements of parameters were recorded before (summer) and after (autumn) a total of 81 skidding cycles, using a profilometer and a penetrometer, and soil samples were collected for analysis. The measurements obtained from the horse trails indicated that soil compactness was considerably higher in the lower sections of the trails and on the side more loaded by horse traffic and the transported load, which was related to the trail course in the field. The values of penetration resistance were high in the middle of those trails, reaching 6.8 MPa in the layer up to 10 cm. In the tractor trail the values of soil compactness reached 7.62 MPa in the layer up to 10 cm deep and were similar across the width of the trail and deep into the soil profile, with only slight changes observed in the monitored period. As a result of skidding, there were increases in the maximum depth of ruts reaching up to 4.6% on horse trails and up to 10.8% on tractor trails. Soil erosion per 10 m of trail caused by skidding and other natural factors during the study reached 1.314 and 0.390 m3 for the tractor and horse trail, respectively, wherein volume of skidded wood on the tractor trail was 180.1, and 18.1 m3 on horse trails. This confirms that the volume of eroded soil on the trails is determined by the type of skidder used and volume of skidded wood, so it is important to choose the right kind of skidder based on the conditions in which the skidding work will be carried out.


Author(s):  
P.R. Greenwood ◽  
R.M. Mcnamara

The treading effects of high-density winter grazing of sheep associated with all-grass wintering systems in Southland were studied for evidence of resultant soil physical degradation. Typical examples of Pukemutu (YGE) and Waikiwi (YBE) soils, extensive areas of which have been intensively managed in Southland for many years, were selected for assessments of mechanical impedance, bulk density, porosity, air permeability, and hydraulic conductivity. The results showed that intensive winter grazing in this environment resulted in significant losses of large soil macropores. As a result, the transmission of water through the root-zone was significantly restricted. After rain, this can lead to waterlogging and soil oxygen deficiencies. Probably as a result of cumulative soil damage over several winters, soil had become more compacted to nearly the full depth of the A horizon. Natural ameliorative processes may therefore be too slow to overcome fully the effects of treading. Measurements of mechanical impedance and bulk density, while widely used, proved inappropriate for examination of the effects of treading. Both are insensitive to small, but important, changes in soil porosity. Air permeability and hydraulic conductivity were good indicators of relative degrees of soil compactness of the sites examined. Both are sensitive to small changes in effective macroporosity, and are useful measurements to diagnose soil structural damage. Keywords all-grass wintering, Southland, sheep, treading damage, soil physical degradation


2021 ◽  
Vol 286 ◽  
pp. 03011
Author(s):  
Dragoș Manea ◽  
Eugen Marin ◽  
Gabriel Gheorghe ◽  
Cătălin Persu ◽  
Roxana Mitroi

The equipment for burying in the ground the drip irrigation lines was designed and built at INMA Bucharest, within a complex research project carried out in partnership with other institutes, universities and research stations in Romania. The equipment is intended for drip irrigation technology for field crops. Subsurface crop irrigation technology is a variant of the classic drip irrigation technology, in which the drip lines are buried below the soil surface, providing water directly to the root zone of the plants. The depth of burial and the distance between the drip lines depends on the type of soil and the structure of the roots of the crop. The activities prior to the experimental research consisted in determining the characteristics of the test field (soil compactness, soil moisture, geographical coordinates of location). Experimental research of the equipment aimed at determining the energy indices (working speed, traction force, traction power, working capacity and fuel consumption).


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