Soil consistency as a factor determining the soil structure of clay soils.

Abstract

The deterioration of the aggregation of several Dutch clay soils during the period after plowing seems to be caused by a plastic transformation of the soil aggregates under the influence of mechanical forces, even very weak ones such as the weight of the top soil. It depends on the consistency and moisture characteristics of the soil, the drainage of the top soil, etc. The location of the point pF 1.9 ("field capacity") on the moisture percentage scale with regard to the upper plastic limit, the sticky point and the lower plastic limit appears to be a better index for the structure of clay soils than figures obtained from a wet-sieving analysis, and some results of experiments on the effects of lime, gypsum and soil conditioners on soil structure illustrate this.-From authors' summary. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission)