Critical limits of the degree of compactness and soil penetration resistance for the soybean crop in N Brazil

In agricultural fields soil compaction is a major cause of physical degradation. Degree of compactness (DC) is a useful parameter for characterizing compaction and the response of crops for different soils. The objectives of this study were: (1) to identify the critical DC and PR values for soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] using plant growth variables and (2) to verify the relationship between DC and PR, and assess which parameter is recommended for the evaluation of soil compaction. The study was conducted in a greenhouse in a completely randomized factorial design of 4 textures × 5 compaction levels for sandy loam and sandy clay loam soils, and 3 compaction levels for the clayey and very clayey soils. Soil samples were collected from the surface of a Xantic Kandiudox from the NE region of the State of Pará, Brazil. The DC was calculated from the maximum bulk density obtained by the Proctor test, and the PR curve was determined in undisturbed samples equilibrated in different matric potentials. The growth and development of the soybean was favored in the DC range of 80 to 85%, regardless of soil texture. The critical degree of compactness for the growth of soybean was around 98% regardless of soil texture, while the critical values for penetration resistance at field capacity varied according to soil texture and bulk density and were 28.2, 5.6, 3.5, and 5.2 MPa for the sandy loam, sand clay loam, clayey and very clayey soils, respectively. The root length was the plant growth variable most susceptible to soil compaction. Change in soil penetration resistance was poorly related with change in degree of compactness showing that one parameter cannot be replaced by the other. Because PR is quickly determined in field and have a direct relationship with plant growth, for the soils evaluated in this study we recommend the use of soil PR to assess the state of soil compaction.     

Soil hydraulic and physico-chemical properties of Ultisols and Inceptisols in south-eastern Nigeria

Understanding soil water dynamics and storage is important to avoid crop failure on highly weathered, porous and leached soils. The aim of the study was to relate soil moisture characteristics to particle-size distributions and chemical properties. On average, Atterberg limits were below 25% in the A-horizon and not more than26.56% in the B-horizon, whereas soil bulk density was between 1.27 and 1.66Mgm^?3. The saturated hydraulic conductivity (K_sat) was generally between 0.20 and 5.43 cm h^?1 in the top soil and <1.31 cm h^?1 in the subsoil. The higher K_sat values for the A-horizons were attributed to the influence soil microorganisms operating more in that horizon. The amount of water retained at field capacity or at permanent wilting point was greater in the B-horizons than in the A-horizons, suggesting that clay accumulation in the B-horizon and evapotranspiration effects in the A-horizon may have influenced water retention in the soils. Soil moisture parameters were positively related to clay content, silt content, exchangeable Mg²⁺, Fe₂O₃ and Al₂O₃, and negatively related to sand content, SiO₂, sodium absorption ratio, exchangeable sodium percentage and bulk density. The low clay content may explain why drainage was so rapid in the soils.     

THE CHARACTERIZATION OF SOME SCOTTISH ARABLE TOPSOILS BY AGRICULTURAL AND ENGINEERING METHODS

Samples from fifty-eight arable topsoils in south-eastern Scotland were analyzed for compactability, plasticity, organic matter content, particle density, and particle-size distribution. The samples were classified by the methods employed for engineering soils and the groupings so obtained were compared with the textural classes. The criteria for the classification of engineering soils provide useful information on the likely mechanical behaviour of arable soils in the field. Tests were made for correlation between fifteen soil properties. The organic matter content, which in the samples studied ranged from 2 to 10 per cent, was shown to influence several mechanical properties, including optimum moisture content, maximum dry bulk density, liquid limit, and plastic limit. Maximum bulk density and optimum moisture content were strongly correlated with Atterberg limits and organic matter content. The liquid limit was more closely correlated with particle-size distribution than was the plastic limit. Unlike soils encountered in engineering, the particle density of these soils was not correlated with particle-size distribution but, like the Atterberg limits, was strongly correlated with organic matter content.     

Does no-till wheat sowing in a rice-wheat cropping sequence cause surface-soil compaction?

Wheat planting in rice-harvested fields without land preparation is more economical, but the physical characteristics of the plant root sphere are not well documented. Comparative changes in the soil compaction in parallel fields used for no-till and conventional tillage were measured in replicated field trials for two soil types and in three randomly selected farmers’ fields. Weakly to moderately developed soils on recent to old Pleistocene calcareous alluvium were studied. They differed in their clay content. No-till wheat sowing resulted in a greater soil bulk density and a lower total porosity in the heavy-textured soils compared to the light-textured soil. In the light-textured Jhakkar soil, the no-till regime resulted in a greater infiltration at the saturated state and under most suction levels and a greater macroporosity compared to the conventional tillage. The silty clay Kotly soil had greater macroporosity in the conventional tillage than in the no-till regime. The wheat root growth and penetration seemed to be favored by the relatively low bulk density resulting from the conventional tillage, particularly in the silty clay loam soil. The dense layer restricted root penetration in the silty clay loam soil, while there was less resistance in the sandy loam soil. The study demonstrated the suitability of the no-till regime for specific soil types. Published in Russian in Pochvovedenie, 2008, No. 11, pp. 1362–1370. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

容重对土壤水分入渗能力影响模拟试验

通过人工改变土壤颗粒级配,配制典型砂壤、中壤、黏壤,并设置不同容重水平,用土柱积水入渗模拟了土壤容重对其入渗能力的影响,为土壤改良和促进天然降水转化利用提供理论依据。结果表明,容重对土壤入渗能力有较大影响。试验土壤入渗能力随容重增大递减,3种典型土壤稳定入渗速率与容重均呈对数负相关,砂壤120 min累积入渗量与容重呈幂函数负相关,中壤、黏壤则呈线性负相关。考斯加科夫入渗模型中,表征初始入渗速率的参数随容重增大递减,表征入渗能力衰减速度的参数则随容重增大递增,说明土壤初始入渗能力随容重增大递减,入渗能力衰减速度随容重增大递增。     

Physical resilience of soil to field compaction and the interactions with plant growth and microbial community structure

Soil compaction has deleterious effects on soil physical properties, which can affect plant growth, but some soils are inherently resilient, whereby they may recover following removal of the stress. We explored aspects of soil physical resilience in a field‐based experiment. We subjected three soils of different texture, sown with winter wheat or remaining fallow, to a compaction event. We then monitored soil strength, as a key soil physical property, over the following 16 months. We were also interested in the associated interactions with crop growth and the microbial community. Compaction had a considerable and sustained effect in a sandy loam and a sandy clay loam soil, resulting in an increase in strength and decreased crop yields. By contrast compaction had little effect on a clay soil, perhaps due initially to the buoyancy effect of pore water pressure. Fallow clay soil did have a legacy of the compaction event at depth, however, suggesting that it was the actions of the crop, and rooting in particular, that maintained smaller strengths in the cropped clay soil rather than other physical processes. Compaction generally did not affect microbial communities, presumably because they occupy pores smaller than those affected by compaction. That the clay soil was able to supply the growing crop with sufficient water whilst remaining weak enough for root penetration was a key finding. The clay soil was therefore deemed to be much more resilient to the compaction stress than the sandy loam and sandy clay loam soils.     

A decision support system for compaction assessment in agricultural soils

Research was conducted to develop a knowledge-based decision support system to assess the degree of compaction in agricultural soils. The experiments were conducted in a laboratory soil bin at the Asian Institute of Technology in three soils, namely, clay, silty clay loam, and silty loam. The research was likewise aimed to quantify the effect of tire variables (section width, diameter, inflation pressure); soil variables (soil moisture content, initial cone index, initial bulk density); and external variables (travel speed, axle load, number of tire passes) on soil compaction and to develop compaction models for soil compaction assessment. Dimensional analysis technique was used in the development of the compaction models.

The soil compaction models were found to provide good predictions of the bulk density and cone index. Using the compaction models and other secondary data, the decision support system was developed to assess the compaction status of the soil in relation to crop yield. The predictions by the decision support system were validated with actual field data from earlier studies and high correlation was observed. Thus, the output of the decision support system may be able to provide useful recommendations for appropriate soil management practices and solutions to site-specific soil compaction problems.     

甘肃省不同气候类型区土壤水分特性

为揭示甘肃省不同气候区不同质地土壤的容重、田间持水量和凋萎湿度的差异,对观测资料的适用性和推广价值进行评价。通过对77个站点10—100 cm土壤水分资料的分析,结果表明:甘肃省全省的土壤容重范围为0.89～1.79 g/cm~3,平均值为1.36 g/cm~3,表层土壤容重与深层土壤容重差异显著(P0.05),半湿润区、半干旱区浅层土壤容重更易受到外界环境及人为活动的干扰。甘肃省大部田间持水量由西北向东南呈增加趋势,田间持水量的最大值为36%～40%,分布在高寒湿润区10—50 cm土层,全省10 cm与20 cm土层田间持水量差异较小,相关系数为0.96,与其他层次差异较大,50 cm土层很可能是甘肃地区土壤田间持水量的分界层。各土层凋萎湿度最大值均出现在冷温带干旱区、高寒半干旱半湿润区中部,不同层次间田间持水量与凋萎湿度呈极显著相关。甘肃省全省大部分地区主要以壤土为主,除此之外干旱区主要以砂壤土为主,半干旱区主要以砂壤土与黏壤土为主,半湿润区主要以粉壤土与黏壤土为主。探讨不同气候区不同层次间土壤容重、田间持水量和凋萎湿度的差异,以期为保障地上生产力、提高水分利用效率提供数据支撑。     

马铃薯淀粉渣对土壤保肥特性及玉米幼苗生长的影响

[目的]探究马铃薯淀粉渣对土壤保肥特性及玉米幼苗生长的影响,为马铃薯淀粉渣的利用提供依据。[方法]采用室内人工气候箱模拟自然环境和用淋洗管模拟田间淋洗的方法,测定沙壤土中施入0,1.00,5.00,10.00,20.00,30.00g/kg的马铃薯淀粉渣对土壤容重、土壤总孔隙度、土壤含水量;土壤淋洗出的硝态氮、铵态氮、速效磷和速效钾含量及玉米幼苗株高、茎粗和干鲜重等指标。[结果]马铃薯淀粉渣施用量为30g/kg时,土壤容重降幅达7.24%,土壤总孔隙度、土壤含水量升幅分别为10.15%,21.25%;土壤淋洗出的硝态氮、铵态氮、速效磷和速效钾含量降幅分别为97.13%,91.03%,63.85%和66.4%;玉米幼苗株高较对照降低8.90%,茎粗较对照增加25.53%,幼苗的干、鲜重分别比对照提高13.47%,15.79%。[结论]马铃薯淀粉渣施用量为30.00g/kg时,改善了土壤理化性状,增强了保肥能力,明显促进玉米幼苗干物质的积累。     

AGE HARDENING OF AGRICULTURAL TOP SOILS

Changes in the strength of remoulded agricultural top soil with ageing are studied for two sandy loam soils from South Australia and a clay soil from Queensland. There is evidence of significant thixotropic behaviour in these soils around the water contents at which tillage is usually performed. For the Urrbrae soil, in which the dominant clay minerals are illite and kaolinite. the maximum thixotropic strength ratio was obtained at a water content just below the plastic limit. For the Strathalbyn soil, which contains illite and actinolite. and for the Waco soil which contains montmorillonite. the maximum thixotropic strength ratios occurred at water contents between the plastic and liquid limits. The age hardening for these soils was investigated using probe penetration, tensile strength and compression resistance measurements. The effect was still apparent after sterilization and after removal of organic matter.     

A study of some tillage practices for sustainable crop production in India

Soil tilth has been defined in terms of a ‘Physical Index’ based on the product of the ratings of eight physical properties — soil depth, bulk density, available water storage capacity, cumulative infiltration or apparent hydraulic conductivity, aggregation or organic matter, non-capillary pore space, water table depth and slope. The Physical Index and a tillage guide were used to identify the tillage requirements of different soils varying in texture from loamy sand to clay in the semi-arid tropics. The physical index was 0.389 for a loamy sand, 0.518 for a black clay loam and 0.540 for a red sandy loam soil and the cumulative rating indices in summer and winter seasons were 45 and 44 for loamy sand, 52 and 51 for red sandy loam and 54 and 52 for black clay loam soils, respectively. The compaction of the loamy sand by eight passes of a 490 kg tractor-driven roller (0.75 m diameter and 1.00 m length) increased the physical index to 0.658 and chiselling of the red sandy loam and black clay loam increased the physical indices to 0.686 and 0.729, respectively. The grain yields of rainfed pearl millet and guar and irrigated pearl millet, wheat and barley increased significantly over the control (no compaction) yields by compaction.

The chiselling of the soils varying in texture from loamy sand to clay at 50 to 120-cm intervals up to 30–40 cm depth, depending upon the row spacing of seedlines and depth of the high mechanical impedance layer, increased the grain yields of rainfed and irrigated maize on alluvial loamy sand, rainfed maize on alluvial sandy loam and red sandy loam, rainfed sorghum on red sandy loam and black clay loam, irrigated sorghum on black clay loam and rainfed black gram on red sandy loam, pod yield of rainfed groundnut, tuber yield of irrigated tapioca and fresh fruit yield of rainfed tomato on red sandy loam and sugarcane yield on black clay soil, significantly over the yields of no-chiselling systems of tillage such as disc harrow and country plough.     

Shrinkage and Atterberg limits in relation to other properties of principal soil types in Israel

Soil samples collected from 32 sites across Israel representing major types were analyzed for their pedological characteristics and mechanical properties. Correlative relationships between shrinkage (measured by the coefficient of linear extensibility, COLE), Atterberg limits (liquid and plastic) and the physical and chemical properties were established and indicate possibilities of estimating mechanical properties from known pedological data. Strong correlations were noted between mechanical properties and the pedological characteristics reflecting clay mineralogy and texture, e.g. cation-exchange capacity, specific surface area, hygroscopic moisture and clay content. These relationships are useful inasmuch as clay mineralogy is usually evident from soil classification. Sodicity and salinity, common in dry soils of semi-arid regions, may introduce complicating factors such as raising or lowering Atterberg limits, respectively. Shrinkage is similarly affected being accentuated at high-sodium, low-salt levels and reduced in highly saline-sodic soils. Organic matter was correlated with liquid and plastic limits, but no relationship with shrinkage was noted. Calcium carbonate also had little influence on Atterberg limits.The relationships presented may serve as first approximations. Mechanical properties of the soil groups illustrate the range of values encountered among regions with differing environmental conditions.     

Reference bulk density and critical degree-of-compactness for no-till crop production in subtropical highly weathered soils

The concept of degree of compactness (DC), referred to as field bulk density (BD) as a percentage of a reference bulk density (BD_ref), was developed to characterize compactness of soil frequently disturbed, but for undisturbed soil such as under no-tillage critical degree of compactness values have not been tested. The objective of this study was to compare methods to determine BD_ref and limits of DC and BD for plant growth under no-tillage in subtropical soils. Data from the literature and other databases were used to establish relationships between BD and clay or clay plus silt content, and between DC and macroporosity and yield of crops under no-tillage in subtropical Brazil. Data of BD_ref reached by the soil Proctor test on disturbed soil samples, by uniaxial compression with loads of 200 kPa on disturbed and undisturbed soil samples, and 400, 800 and 1600 kPa on undisturbed soil samples, were used. Also, comparisons were made with critical bulk density based on the least limiting water range (BDc LLWR) and on observed root and/or yield restriction in the field (BDc Rest). Using vertical uniaxial compression with a load of 200 kPa on disturbed or undisturbed samples generates low BD_ref and high DC-values. The standard Proctor test generates higher BD_ref-values, which are similar to those in a uniaxial test with a load of 1600 kPa for soils with low clay content but lower for soils with high clay content. The BDc LLWR does not necessarily restrict root growth or crop yield under no-tillage, since field investigations led to higher BDc Rest-values. A uniaxial load greater than 800 kPa is promising to determine BD_ref for no-tillage soils. The BD_ref is highly correlated to the clay content and thus pedotransfer functions may be established to estimate the former based on the latter. Soil ecological properties are affected before compaction restricts plant growth and yield. The DC is an efficient parameter to identify soil compaction affecting crops. The effect of compaction on ecological properties must also be further considered.     

Stress relaxation of five different soil samples when uniaxially compacted at different water contents

The average size of rainfed and irrigated agricultural farms in Spain has grown steadily over the past two decades. This has called for the use of machinery of higher field capacity and greater weight that in turn requires a high drawbar power. All this has resulted in soil changes such as an increased compaction and compactibility. The confined uniaxial compression test was used to assess compaction and viscoelastic behavior of five soil samples from different agricultural areas of Spain. The bulk density–compression stress line was fitted to a three-parameter multiplicative compaction model and viscoelastic behavior was evaluated by means of stress-relaxation tests. The objectives were to determine to what extent the parameter coefficients of the compaction model equation and the relaxation of the stress induced in the compacted soil were influenced by the type of soil, its water content and the compression stress applied. Gravimetric water contents of 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25% were considered, and maximum normal stresses of 50, 100, 200 and 400 kPa were applied to the soils in a universal testing machine. The soil samples considered differed in texture, sandy loam (SL), sandy clay loam (SCL), loam (L), clay (C) and silt-loam (SiL), and organic matter content.

The slope of the bulk density-compression stress line at zero normal stress was strongly dependent on soil water content and plasticity index; whereas the slope of the curve at high applied normal stresses was influenced by soil moisture but not by soil plasticity. The viscoelastic behavior of the soils compared was dictated by their water content and plasticity index, as well as by the compression stress applied. The stress relaxation rate at time t=0 was scarcely influenced by water content. In fact, the rate remained constant over the water content range from 10 to 20% (w/w) at values that were higher than those obtained at 5 and 25% (w/w), which in turn were identical to each other. The stress-relaxation rate was also found to increase linearly with the logarithm of the compression stress. On the other hand, the residual stress decreased linearly with increasing water content. However, the latter increased linearly with compression stress. Increasing soil plasticity resulted in decreasing relaxation rate and increasing residual stress. Therefore, the more plastic the soil was the lower was the rate at which stress relaxation started and the smaller was the amount of stress dissipated.     

A laboratory study of the residual influence of some amendments on the reconsolidation of disturbed Salisbury silt loam

The residual effect of various soil amendments on the reconsolidation of a strongly acidic Salisbury silt loam C horizon which contained 0.25% free aluminium was investigated in the laboratory. Limestone (CaCO₃), gypsum (CaSO₄) and peat moss were added at 0.5, 0.08 and 2.0% (w/w), respectively. In a fourth treatment, CaCO₃ (0.5%, w/w) was added 24 months previously. Results from these treatments were compared to those from an untreated control. All soils were redisturbed to simulate tillage. The soils were subjected to a standard Proctor test and a low-energy compaction test designed to simulate a 0.44 m soil overburden. Penetrometer studies were performed to examine soil strength.

The mineralogy of the Salisbury C-horizon was dominated by illite, with lesser amounts of chlorite occurring; kaolinite and vermiculite were present only in small amounts. Application of peat lowered the maximum dry density of the Proctor test and increased the concomitant optimum moisture content. Soil chemical amendments had no effect on compaction as measured by the Proctor test, but significantly increased the dry bulk density in the low-energy compaction test. Hence volumetric moisture content, at a moisture tension of 101 kPa, was increased by the chemical amendments. Soil strength, as measured by the cone index at a constant soil moisture tension, was decreased by the chemical amendments; however, after correction for volumetric moisture content, no treatment effect occurred. The chemical amendments significantly decreased the concentrations of inorganic and organically bound Al and inorganically bound Fe.

The results of the low-energy compaction test suggest that application of gypsum or limestone amendments to severely disturbed, highly acidic soils, which contain appreciable amounts of aluminium oxides and exchangeable aluminium, may increase the soil's propensity to reconsolidate. This was not revealed by the standard Proctor test.     

Combined effects of soil texture and machine operating trail gradient on changes in forest soil physical properties during ground-based skidding

Wood extraction by heavy machinery has always been associated with soil disturbance in mountain forests,and the degree of soil degradation is influenced by several factors,including site and soil characteristics,soil moisture,type of equipment used,and number of machine passes.The effects of ground-based skidding operations on the physical properties of soils with different texture were evaluated at different levels of traffic frequency and trail gradient at two sites in an Iranian temperate forest.The treatments included combinations of three different traffic frequencies(3,8,and 14 passes of a rubber-tired cable skidder),three levels of trail gradient(10%,10%–20%,and20%) and two soil texture classes,clay loam(Site 1) and sandy loam(Site 2).The average gravimetric soil moisture at the time of skidding was 23%(Site 1) and 20%(Site 2).The average dry bulk density and total porosity of the undisturbed soil(control) were0.71 g cm~(-3) and 73.3% at Site 1(clay loam) and 0.86 g cm~(-3)and 59.1% at Site 2(sandy loam),respectively.At site 1(fine-textured soil),rutting began after three passes of the skidder,whereas at site 2(coarse-textured soil),rutting occurred only after eight passes.Independent of the traffic frequency and trail gradient,machine impact on the fine-textured soil caused greater increases in bulk density and rut depth compared to that on the coarse-textured soil.After three skidder passes and independent from trail gradients,dry bulk density at Site 1 increased by 54.8% compared to that of the undisturbed control,and the increase was 45.5% at Site 2.Therefore,medium to fine-textured soils are more susceptible to compaction than coarse-textured soils.Such soils,especially when moist,should be protected using brush mats created from harvesting residues during the forest processing phase.     

土壤紧实度对伴矿景天生长及镉锌吸收性的影响研究

采集黏土、壤黏土和砂质壤土,分别设置无压实、低紧实度及高紧实度3种处理,通过盆栽试验研究了土壤紧实度对Cd、Zn超积累植物伴矿景天生长和Cd、Zn吸收性的影响。结果表明,与无压实处理比较,砂质壤土、壤黏土和黏土中伴矿景天地上部生物量在低紧实度下显著下降66.8%~83.5%、59.9%~60.4%和57.9%~71.4%;高紧实度处理却显著提高了伴矿景天的根系活力(142%~241%)。高紧实度处理显著降低了壤黏土上伴矿景天地上部Cd和Zn含量,但低紧实度对砂质壤土和黏土上伴矿景天地上部Cd和Zn含量无显著影响。与无压实处理比较,低紧实度显著降低了砂质壤土、壤黏土和黏土上伴矿景天的Cd吸取量,分别下降50.4%~73.8%、61.4%~74.9%和43.4%~63.3%,Zn吸取量下降48.7%~79.5%、73.6%~79.0%和46.1%~63.5%;土壤紧实度对壤黏土上伴矿景天的镉锌吸取效率影响最明显。     

城市土壤压实对土壤水分特征的影响——以南京市为例

通过对南京市不同土地利用下的土壤容重、孔隙度和土壤水分特征曲线的测定，研究了压实对土壤水分特征参数的影响。结果表明城市土壤存在严重的压实退化现象，土壤容重和孔隙度能够很好地反映土壤的压实程度。随着压实程度的增加，土壤的田间持水量增加，萎蔫点含水量增加，而土壤的最大有效水含量却明显减少。所以，压实土壤对水分的调节能力下降，使其上生长的植物更不容易获得水分供应。     

Tillage methods and soil and water conservation in eastern Africa

This paper reviews some research studies on tillage methods influencing soil and moisture conservation in the eastern African countries of Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Ethiopia during the past four decades. Most of these studies were conducted in marginal rainfall (semi arid) areas and on shallow soils of various textures (sandy clay loam, sandy clay, clay and loam). The studies were meant to establish the effects of tillage and residue management practices on physico-chemical soil properties (i.e. structure, bulk density, soil moisture and organic matter contents), runoff and infiltration.

This review emphasizes the importance of appropriate tillage and residue management methods (contour bunds and terraces, minimum tillage, tied ridging, mulching and conventional tillage) in providing soil conditions favourable for soil moisture conservation and subsequent crop performance and yield on smallholder farms.     

A method for predicting soil susceptibility to the compaction of surface layers as a function of water content and bulk density

Identifying the vulnerability of soils to compaction damage is becoming an increasingly important issue when planning and performing farming operations. Soil compaction models are efficient tools for predicting soil compaction due to agricultural field traffic. Most of these models require knowledge of the stress/strain relationship and of mechanical parameters and their variations as a function of different physical properties. Since soil compaction depends on the soil's water content, bulk density and texture, good understanding of the relations between them is essential to define suitable farming strategies according to climatic changes. In this work we propose a new pedotransfer function for 10 representative French soils collected from cultivated fields, a vineyard and forests. We investigate the relationship between soil mechanical properties, easily measurable soil properties, water content and bulk density. Confined compression tests were performed on remoulded soils of a large range of textures at different initial bulk densities and water contents. The use of remolded samples allowed us to examine a wide range of initial conditions with low measurement variability. Good linear regression was obtained between soil precompression stress, the compression index, initial water content, initial bulk density and soil texture. The higher the clay content, the higher the soil's capacity to bear greater stresses at higher initial water contents without severe compaction. Initial water content plays an important role in clayey and loamy soils. In contrast, for sandy soils, mechanical parameters were less dependent on initial water content but more related to initial bulk density. These pedotransfer functions are expected to hold for the soils of tilled surface layers, but further measurements on intact samples are needed to test their validity.