Effects of time under rain, sampling technique and transport of samples on size distributions of water‐stable aggregates

Abstract

Two methods for sampling aggregates in the soil surface under simulated rain were compared using two soil types. Results showed that aggregate size distributions obtained by spatula sampling were not significantly different from those obtained using rings buried in the soil surface, provided both were sampled to the same depth. The effect of transporting samples over a distance of 60 km was non-significant when samples were placed in bottles half-filled with rainwater and transported in an upright position. The per cent aggregates > 0125 mm was found to be the most suitable index of aggregate stability for both soils.

Effects of peat content, rainfall duration and aggregate size on soil crust strength

“…The collected samples were passed through a series of sieves (24.15 mm aperture sizes). The increases in the percentage of aggregates less than 0.15 mm after rainfall was used as an index of aggregate breakdown following the example of Cleary et al (1987).…”