The use of plaster of Paris in the study of soil structure

Patrick, Edward A.; Mackie, L.A.; Mullins, Christopher

doi:10.1111/j.1475-2743.1985.tb00660.x

Cited by 45 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…In June 2001, clover was flowering, barley was at flag leaf to booting stage (GS 37–49) and winter beans at early flowering. A modified method of Fitzpatrick et al. (1985) using plaster of Paris (CaSOH 2 O) was used for the impregnation of soil samples.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantification of the effects of contrasting crops in the development of soil structure: an organic conversion

Papadopoulos

Mooney

Bird

2006

Soil Use and Management

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Soil structure can be greatly affected, and hence manipulated, by agricultural management practices, such as crop rotation. This study aims to illustrate how soil structure under a stockless organic system differed between contrasting crop types using quantified data derived from image analysis. Undisturbed soil samples were collected from five organic conversion strategies in the second year of conversion, during two contrasting seasons in 2001 and following one uniform crop (oats) grown on all the plots in 2004. The samples were impregnated and images of soil structure collected at selected depth intervals. The images were analysed for macroporosity, pore size distribution and pore-perimeter fractal dimension. Significant differences were found between treatments in terms of overall macroporosity (%) and average pore size (mm 2 ) in 2001. The red clover (Trifolium pratense) treatments had the highest soil macroporosity in 2001, but showed a dramatic drop in 2004 accompanied by a reduction in average pore size (mm 2 ). Pore-perimeter fractal dimensions for four of the five crop treatments in 2001 did not show significant differences. However, there was a significant decrease in the fractal dimensions in 2004, indicating the presence of pores with less rough and irregular pore boundaries following a uniform cereal crop. Benefits to soil structure and porosity from clover were large and significant but were not lasting.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantification of the effects of contrasting crops in the development of soil structure: an organic conversion

Papadopoulos

Mooney

Bird

2006

Soil Use and Management

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“…To be as effective, the D D pore system must therefore be more open and continuous from the soil surface. Visual field examinations by other workers of pores in D D and PL soils have indicated large differences in pore continuity between the two soils (Fitzpatrick et al 1985). The higher earthworm populations and the undisturbed nature of the D D soil allows an effective network of pores to remain intact and continuous from the soil surface to beneath the equivalent depth of cultivation.…”

Section: Injltration Ratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil physical conditions after six years of direct drilling or conventional cultivation on a silt loam soil in New Zealand

Francis¹,

Cameron²,

Swift³

1987

Soil Res.

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Soil physical conditions following six years of cereals planted by direct drilling (DD) or conventional cultivation (ploughing, PL) are compared. Bulk density was higher in the top 200 mm of the DD soil but, with ploughing, bulk density was found to increase sharply and remain higher than DD below this depth. With DD, soil strength was consistently higher at most depths and aggregate stability was also higher. Earthworm numbers were at least 1.5 times greater in the DD plots. Infiltration rates were similar under both systems despite the lower total porosity and air-filled porosity of the DD soil. This was attributed to a more open and continuous network of pores in the D D soil. Root densities measured in the same year as the soil physical conditions were significantly higher in the surface 0-100 mm of the D D soil and also tended to be higher below 200 mm depth. In the sixth year of the trial, there was a significantly greater plant emergence in the D D soil than PL soil, although harvest grain yields were similar for both treatments.

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“…At the end of the experimental period in November 1985, the plaster of paris technique (Fitzpatrick et a[., 1985) was used to characterize the cracking pattern around the access tubes. This involved pushing an infiltration ring (diameter 30 cm) into the soil with the access tube at its centre.…”

Section: S I T E a N D M E T H O D Smentioning

confidence: 99%

Some problems associated with the use of the neutron probe in swelling/shrinkling clay soils

Jarvis

Leeds‐Harrison

1987

Journal of Soil Science

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SUMMARY Comparison of neutron probe count rate ratios measured at 10 cm depth, with bulk soil water contents measured 3–5m away from the access tubes, confirmed that in swelling/ shrinking clay soils, recharge may be over estimated. This is due to the drying soil shrinking form the access tube, creating an air gap and radial cracks which allow preferential re‐writing of the soil near the access tube. Installation of access tubes into dry soil was only a short‐term answer. Comparison of results obtained for bulk soil and for small colds shows that calibrating the neutron probe using small diameter cores may be lead to serious under estimates of changes in water content in shrinking clay soils.

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The use of plaster of Paris in the study of soil structure

Cited by 45 publications

References 5 publications

Quantification of the effects of contrasting crops in the development of soil structure: an organic conversion

Quantification of the effects of contrasting crops in the development of soil structure: an organic conversion

Soil physical conditions after six years of direct drilling or conventional cultivation on a silt loam soil in New Zealand

Some problems associated with the use of the neutron probe in swelling/shrinkling clay soils

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