Soil hydraulic properties of two loess soils in China measured by various field-scale and laboratory methods

Knowledge of hydraulic properties is essential for understanding water movement in soil. However, very few data on these properties are available from the Loess Plateau of China. We determined the hydraulic properties of two silty loam soils on agricultural land at sites in Mizhi and Heyang in the region. Undisturbed soil cores were collected from seven layers to one meter depth to determine saturated hydraulic conductivity, soil water retention curves and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity (by the hot-air method). Additional field methods (internal drainage and Guelph permeameter) were applied at the Heyang site to compare differences between methods. Soil water retention curves were flatter at Mizhi than at Heyang. Water contents at saturation and wilting point (1500 kPa) were higher at Heyang than at Mizhi. However, unsaturated hydraulic conductivity was lower at Heyang than at Mizhi, with maximum differences of more than six orders of magnitude. Nevertheless, the two soils had similar saturated hydraulic conductivities of about 60 cm day^− 1. Comparison between the methods showed that soil water retention curves obtained in the laboratory generally agreed well with the field data. Field-saturated conductivities had similar values to those obtained using the soil core method. Unsaturated hydraulic conductivities predicted by the Brooks–Corey model were closer to field data than corresponding values predicted by the van Genuchten model.     

Estimating the saturated hydraulic conductivity in a spatially variable soil with different permeameters: a stochastic Kozeny–Carman relation

The spatial variability of the saturated hydraulic conductivity (K_s) of a greenhouse banana plantation volcanic soil was investigated with three different permeameters: (a) the Philip-Dunne field permeameter, an easy to implement and low cost device; (b) the Guelph field permeameter; (c) the constant head laboratory permeameter. K_s was measured on a 14×5 array of 2.5 m×5 m rectangles at 0.15 m depth using the above three methods. K_s differences obtained with the different permeameters are explained in terms of flow dimensionality and elementary volume explored by the three methods. A sinusoidal spatial variation of K_s was coincident with the underlying alignment of banana plants on the field. This was explained in terms of soil disturbances, such as soil compaction, originated by management practices and tillage. Soil salinity showed some coincidence in space with the hydraulic conductivity, because of the irrigation system distribution, but a causal relationship between the two is however difficult to support. To discard the possibility of an artefact, the original 70 point mesh was doubled by intercalation of a second 14×5 grid, such that the laboratory K_s was finally determined on a 140 points 2.5 m×2.5 m square grid. Far from diluting such anisotropy this was further strengthened after inclusion of the new 70 points. The porosity (φ) determined on the same laboratory cores shows a similar sigmoid trend, thus pointing towards a plausible explanation for such variability. A power-law relationship was found between saturated hydraulic conductivity and porosity, K_sφⁿ (r²=0.38), as stated by the Kozeny–Carman relation. A statistical reformulation of the Kozeny–Carman relation is proposed that both improved its predictability potential and allows comparisons between different representative volumes, or K_s data sets with different origin. Although the two-field methods: Guelph and Philip-Dunne, also follow a similar alignment trend, this is not so evident, suggesting that additional factors affect K_s measured in the field. Finally, geostatistical techniques such as cross correlograms estimation are used to further investigate this spatial dependence.     

双环入渗仪的缓冲指标对测定土壤饱和导水率的影响

双环入渗仪在测定田间土壤饱和导水率时被广泛采用。本文采用不同直径的双环入渗仪(内环直径分别为20 cm、40 cm、80 cm和120 cm)和不同的内外环直径比,即不同的缓冲指标(0.2、0.33、0.5和0.71),进行了16组定水头积水入渗试验,研究了双环入渗仪缓冲指标对土壤饱和导水率测定的影响。结果表明:内环直径较小的入渗仪,其累积入渗过程曲线的分布较分散;随着入渗环直径逐渐增大,分散范围逐渐缩小。另外,随着缓冲指标的逐渐增大,测定的土壤饱和导水率并没有明显的增大或减小趋势,但内环直径20 cm的入渗仪测定的土壤饱和导水率的波动最大,而80 cm和120 cm内径的双环入渗仪测定的土壤饱和导水率最稳定,并且始终非常接近。因此,相对于双环入渗仪内环大小或土壤非均质性的影响,双环入渗仪的缓冲指标对于土壤饱和导水率测定的影响要小。     

Predicting the saturated hydraulic conductivity of compacted subsoils using the non-similar media concept

It is widely recognized that saturated hydraulic conductivity is dominated by the micromorphology of soil pores rather than by the merely total porosity or dry bulk density. Nevertheless, some researchers are reporting that the decrease in saturated hydraulic conductivity of subsoil is simply associated with the decrease in soil porosity or increase in dry bulk density. Based on these understandings in published papers and on our preliminary field investigation, we assumed that micromorphology of soil pores in topsoils is subjected to be destroyed with continuous disturbance by frequent tillage while subsoils tend to be compacted without serious changes of micromorphology of soil pores. Thus, we focused on finding the dependence of saturated hydraulic conductivity on dry bulk density by separating the soils into tilled layer and compacted layer. The objective of this study was to describe the relationship between saturated hydraulic conductivity and dry bulk density using a theoretical model, the non-similar media concept (NSMC) model, capable of predicting saturated hydraulic conductivities of soils with different values of dry bulk densities. The study area was located near the Tone River in Saitama Prefecture, Japan, where the soils were classified into Haplic Brown Lowland Soils according to the Classification of Cultivated Soils in Japan (Eutric Fluvisol according to FAO/UNESCO). Two sites, where the topsoils were seasonally tilled while the subsoils were sustained as it is, and another site where the topsoil was seasonally tilled, too, but extra deep tillage (1 m tillage depth) had been done, were chosen for the measurements. The saturated hydraulic conductivities and dry bulk densities of undisturbed soil cores from different depths were measured in the laboratory. The NSMC model was carefully applied only when the soil textures were the same among samples. The well-known conventional equations formulated by Kozeny–Carman and by Campbell, were used to compare the applicabilities with the NSMC model. The NSMC model succeeded in predicting the saturated hydraulic conductivities in the compacted subsoils. On the other hand, the NSMC model was not applicable to the tilled topsoils and to the deeply tilled subsoil. The saturated hydraulic conductivity of tilled topsoils and deeply tilled subsoil was always lower than that of compacted subsoils at the same dry bulk densities. The Kozeny–Carman and Campbell equations both failed in the prediction of saturated hydraulic conductivity in subsoil. It was concluded that the saturated hydraulic conductivity of subsoils under compaction without extreme disturbance is well related with its dry bulk density by the NSMC model.     

滩涂围垦农田土壤饱和导水率的影响因素及转换函数研究

确定苏北沿海滩涂围垦农田耕层土壤饱和导水率的影响因素,构建适合该区的土壤转换函数,是研究该区田间土壤水盐运动和盐渍化防控的重要前提。本文在该区典型地块实测土壤饱和导水率和相关土壤基本理化性质,探讨了该区土壤饱和导水率的剖面分布特点,对影响饱和导水率的土壤基本性质进行了主成分分析,并建立了用于该区饱和导水率间接估算的土壤转换函数。结果表明:滩涂围垦农田土壤饱和导水率随剖面深度增加呈表土层高、亚表层低、底土层又升高的趋势,20~40 cm土层饱和导水率最小,介于2.75~6.73 cm·d-1,属低透水强度;土壤容重随剖面深度增加表现出与饱和导水率相反的变化特点。除了容重、孔隙度、质地等物理因素外,土壤肥力、盐分等化学性质也是影响饱和导水率的重要因素;影响滩涂围垦农田土壤饱和导水率的因素可由持水特性、盐碱状况、养分特征和土壤质地4个主成分反映,其累计贡献率达78.17%。在Vereecken转换函数中引入土壤盐分后可提高预测精度,修正函数Vereecken_1是最适合滩涂围垦农区土壤、具有最佳预测精度的转换函数。本文构建的土壤转换函数,可通过较易获得的砂粒、黏粒、容重、盐分和有机质对耕层土壤饱和导水率进行较高精度的预测,其结果可为滩涂盐渍化农区田间尺度土壤饱和导水率间接估算以及水盐运动数值模拟提供支持。     

Using the simplified falling head technique to detect temporal changes in field-saturated hydraulic conductivity at the surface of a sandy loam soil

Determining temporal changes in field-saturated hydraulic conductivity (K_fs) is important for understanding and modeling hydrological phenomena at the field scale. Little is known about temporal variability of K_fs values measured at permanent sampling points. In this investigation, the simplified falling head (SFH) technique was used for an approximately 2-year period to determine temporal changes in K_fs at 11 permanent sampling points established at the surface of a sandy loam soil. Additional K_fs measurements were obtained by the single-ring pressure infiltrometer (PI) technique to also compare the SFH and PI techniques. The lowest mean values of K_fs, M(K_fs), were detected in December and January (20.5 ≤ M(K_fs) ≤ 146.2 mm h⁻¹), whereas higher results (190.5 ≤ M(K_fs) ≤ 951.9 mm h⁻¹) were obtained in the other months of the year. The K_fs values were higher and less variable in the dry soil (θ_i ≤ 0.21 m³ m⁻³, M(K_fs) = 340.6 mm h⁻¹, CV(K_fs) = 106%) than in the wet one (θ_i > 0.21 m³ m⁻³, M(K_fs) = 78.4 mm h⁻¹, CV(K_fs) = 185%). Both wet and dry soil were less conductive at the end of the study period than at the beginning one but a more appreciable change was detected for the dry soil (K_fs decreasing by 83.4%) than for the wet one (K_fs decreasing by 63.0%). The simple SFH technique yielded K_fs results similar to the more laborious and time-consuming PI technique (i.e., mean values differing at the most by a factor of two). It was concluded that (i) the soil water content was an important factor affecting the K_fs results obtained in a relatively coarse-textured soil, (ii) the impact of time from the beginning of the experiment on the saturated hydraulic conductivity was larger for a repeated sampling of dry soil than of wet soil and (iii) the SFH technique yielded reliable K_fs results in a relatively short period of time without the need for extensive instrumentation or analytical methodology.     

Effect of deep tillage for vineyard establishment on soil structure: A case study in Southern France

Deep tillage that is used before vine plantation to remove old vine roots and loosen subsoil may induce physical soil degradation that could affect soil structure and vine water supply. The objective of the study was to experimentally evaluate the effect of deep tillage on soil structure. The impacts on soil structure of two deep tillage techniques, i.e. deep ploughing and ripper, and two contrasted soil water conditions were compared in a experimental field by combining morphological observations, bulk density and saturated hydraulic conductivity measurements. These three methods were found very complementary to analyse and discriminate the impact of the different treatments. The proportion of compacted zones and mean bulk density increased from the initial plot (0.15 m² m⁻², 1.45 Mg m⁻³) to a maximum in the case of the deep ploughing under wet conditions plot (0.60 m² m⁻², 1.60 Mg m⁻³). The main results showed that (i) a significant soil compaction was observed after wet conditions only, (ii) deep ploughing produced more soil compaction than ripper because of a greater volume of soil affected by wheeling in the former operation and (iii) a specific response of soils is significatively observed in the case of deep ploughing only with an increase of compacted zones fragmentation in relation to a decrease of clay content.     

Spatial and temporal variability of soil hydraulic conductivity in relation to soil water distribution, using an exponential model.

An internal drainage experiment was conducted to examine soil water content variability in space and in time. It is shown that the flux-gradient model used to describe water flow in field soil profiles, based on the Darcy–Buckingham equation, yielded results of extreme variability and questionable validity. The problem lies in the representativeness of a site due to soil variability, horizontally and vertically in time, which added to the character of the hydraulic conductivity versus soil water content relation, which in many cases can be approximated by exponential functions, leads to coefficients of variation up to 170% in the estimation of soil hydraulic conductivity values.     

Surface-soil responses to paraplowing of long-term no-tillage cropland in the Southern Piedmont USA

The type of conservation-tillage management employed could impact surface-soil properties, which could subsequently affect relationships between soil and water quality, as well as with soil C sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions. We determined soil bulk density, organic C and N fractions, plant-available N, and extractable P on Typic Kanhapludults throughout a 7-year period, in which four long-term (>10 years), no-tillage (NT) water catchments (1.3–2.7 ha each) were divided into two treatments: (1) continuation of NT and (2) paraplowing (PP) in autumn (a form of non-inversion deep ripping) with NT planting. Both summer [cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), maize (Zea mays L.), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench), soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.)] and winter [wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), rye (Secale cereale L.), crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.)] crops were NT planted throughout the study under each management system. Soil bulk density was reduced with PP compared with NT by as much as 0.15 Mg m⁻³, but the extent of reduction was inversely related to the time lag between PP operation and sampling event. Soil organic C became significantly enriched with time during this study under NT (0.49 Mg C ha⁻¹ year⁻¹), but not under PP, in which poultry litter was applied equivalent to 5.7 Mg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ to all water catchments. Soil maintained a highly stratified depth distribution of organic C and N fractions and extractable P under both NT and PP. Inability to perform the PP operation in the last year of this study resulted in rapid convergence of soil bulk density between tillage systems, suggesting that PP had <1-year effectiveness on soil loosening. The high energy cost of PP (ca. 30 kW shank⁻¹) and the lack of sustained improvement in surface-soil properties put into question the value of PP for improving upon long-term NT management in sandy loam and sandy clay loam Ultisols of the Southern Piedmont USA, unless large effects on crop yield, water quality, or other ecosystem processes warrant its use.     

Effect of tillage and crop rotations on pore size distribution and soil hydraulic conductivity in sandy clay loam soil of the Indian Himalayas

Tillage management can affect crop growth by altering the pore size distribution, pore geometry and hydraulic properties of soil. In the present communication, the effect of different tillage management viz., conventional tillage (CT), minimum tillage (MT) and zero-tillage (ZT) and different crop rotations viz. [(soybean–wheat (S–W), soybean–lentil (S–L) and soybean–pea (S–P)] on pore size distribution and soil hydraulic conductivities [saturated hydraulic conductivity (K_sat) and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity {k(h)}] of a sandy clay loam soil was studied after 4 years prior to the experiment. Soil cores were collected after 4 year of the experiment at an interval of 75 mm up to 300 mm soil depth for measuring soil bulk density, soil water retention constant (b), pore size distribution, K_sat and k(h). Nine pressure levels (from 2 to 1500 kPa) were used to calculate pore size distribution and k(h). It was observed that b values at all the studied soil depths were higher under ZT than those observed under CT irrespective of the crop rotations. The values of soil bulk density observed under ZT were higher in 0–75 mm soil depth in all the crop rotations. But, among the crop rotations, soils under S–P and S–L rotations showed relatively lower bulk density values than S–W rotation. Average values of the volume fraction of total porosity with pores <7.5 μm in diameter (effective pores for retaining plant available water) were 0.557, 0.636 and 0.628 m³ m⁻³ under CT, MT and ZT; and 0.592, 0.610 and 0.626 m³ m⁻³ under S–W, S–L and S–P, respectively. In contrast, the average values of the volume fraction of total porosity with pores >150 μm in diameter (pores draining freely with gravity) were 0.124, 0.096 and 0.095 m³ m⁻³ under CT, MT and ZT; and 0.110, 0.104 and 0.101 m³ m⁻³ under S–W, S–L and S–P, respectively. Saturated hydraulic conductivity values in all the studied soil depths were significantly greater under ZT than those under CT (range from 300 to 344 mm day⁻¹). The observed k(h) values at 0–75 mm soil depth under ZT were significantly higher than those computed under CT at all the suction levels, except at −10, −100 and −400 kPa suction. Among the crop rotations, S–P rotation recorded significantly higher k(h) values than those under S–W and S–L rotations up to −40 kPa suction. The interaction effects of tillage and crop rotations affecting the k(h) values were found significant at all the soil water suctions. Both S–L and S–P rotations resulted in better soil water retention and transmission properties under ZT.     

Direction-dependent behaviour of hydraulic and mechanical properties in structured soils under conventional and conservation tillage

The development of soil structure units with defined forms and dimensions (e.g. platy by soil compaction or prismatic up to subangular-blocky by swelling–shrinkage processes) can lead to direction-dependent behaviour of mechanical and hydraulic properties. However, little research has investigated direction-dependent behaviour directly. Undisturbed samples were collected at different horizons and orientations (vertical and horizontal) of Stagnic Luvisols derived from glacial till (Weichselian moraine region in Northern Germany). A direct shear test determined the cohesion (c) and the angle of internal friction (φ). The water retention curve (WRC), the saturated hydraulic conductivity (k_s) and the air permeability (k_a) were also measured. The air-filled porosity (_a) was determined and pore continuity indices (N) and blocked porosities (_b) were derived from the relationship between k_a and _a.Although the pore volume as a scalar is isotrop, the saturated hydraulic conductivity and air permeability can be anisotropic. In the seedbed (SB) and plough pan (PP) of conventionally managed soils the effective porosity is non-direction-dependent, however, differences in k_s as a function of sampling direction can reach one order of magnitude in PP (k_sh > k_sv). The shear strength parameters do not present a significant anisotropy, although, a pronounced spatial orientation of soil aggregates (e.g. induced by soil compaction in a plough pan) lead to direction-dependent shear strength (by σ_n: 10 kPa, σ_tv: 12 kPa and σ_th: 19 kPa). This behaviour was especially observed in pore continuity indices (e.g. vertical and horizontal oriented aggregates observed in Bvg and PP presented _bv < _bh and _bv > _bh, respectively) showing that the identification of soil structure can be used as the first parameter to estimate if hydraulic properties present a direction-dependent behaviour at the scale of the soil horizon, which is relevant in modelling transport processes.     

Persistence of soil compaction due to high axle load traffic. II. Long-term effects on the properties of fine-textured and organic soils

The long-term effects of high axle load traffic on soil structure were investigated in three field experiments. Two of the experiments were located on fine-textured mineral soils (Vertic Cambisol). The clay soil had 48 g clay (particle size less than 2 μm) per 100 g in the topsoil and 65 g per 100 g in the subsoil, and the loam soil had clay contents of 30 g and 42 g per 100 g in the topsoil and subsoil, respectively. One experiment was located on an organic soil (Mollic Gleysol) consisting of well-decomposed sedge peat mixed with clay from 0.2 to 0.4–0.5 m depth, and underlain by gythia (organic soil with high clay content). In the autumn of 1981, one pass and four repeated passes with a heavy tractor-trailer combination compacted the soils to 0.4–0.5 m depth. The trailer tandem axle load was 19 Mg on the clay and 16 Mg on the other soils.

For 9 years after the experimental traffic, the main crops grown were spring cereals. During this time, the maximum axle load applied during field operations was 5 Mg and the maximum tyre inflation pressure was 150 kPa. The clay and loam froze to 0.5 m depth for 6 and 2 years, respectively. During several growing seasons all three soils dried and cracked. In the ninth year after the loading, soil penetrometer resistance, saturated hydraulic conductivity (K_sat), macroporosity and number and area of cylindrical biopores were measured and the visual structure of the soils examined.

Compaction in the plough layer was alleviated by ploughing and natural processes, whereas in the subsoil the effects of the compaction were still measurable, in all experiments, in the ninth year after the high axle load traffic. In the clay soil in the 0.3–0.5 m layer and in the organic soil in the 0.28–0.4 m layer, the penetrometer resistance was 22–26% greater and the soil structure more massive in the plots compacted with four passes than in the control plots. In the 0.4–0.55 m layer in all soils, the loading with four passes decreased K_sat by 60–98% and macroporosity (diameter greater than 300 μm) by 37–70%. In the fine-textured mineral subsoils, cylindrical biopores were found in all treatments. The trend of the results was, however, for biopores to be fewer in compacted than in control plots.     

Management effects on C accumulation and loss in soils of the southern Appalachian Piedmont of Georgia

Soil conservation management practices can impact on soil C storage. Long- and short-term data sets from three research sites were used to assess effects of management on C content of soils on the southern Appalachian Piedmont of Georgia. Intensive cultivation resulted in no observable change in total C content at the end of 3 yr, but at the end of 16 yr there were 40% and 18% declines in C in conventional tillage (CT) and no-tillage (NT) soils, respectively, at the Horseshoe Bend site. No significant changes in soil C were observed in either CT or NT soils at the end of 16 yr at Griffin. Higher clay content of Griffin soils may have contributed to this difference. Newly established NT plots on C-depleted soils on Dawson Field showed no change in C content at the end of 3 yr on both a highly eroded Pacolet sandy clay loam and a slightly eroded Cecil sandy loam. A soil under long-term NT accumulated C at a mean rate of ca. 0.6 Mg C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹, reaching 29 Mg C ha⁻¹ after 20 yr. Steady-state levels of C in soils of the region may approach 40 Mg C ha⁻¹ (0–20 cm depth). Long-term forested and sod-based soils at Griffin showed C contents approximating this steady-state, while fertilized NT soils exceeded the estimated steady-state level.     

Impacts of logging disturbance on hillslope saturated hydraulic conductivity in a tropical forest in Peninsular Malaysia

Using a constant-head permeameter we found an abrupt natural decrease in saturated hydraulic conductivity (K_s) within the upper 1.0-m soil profile of an Orthoxic Tropudult at the Bukit Tarek Experimental Catchments research area in tropical, Peninsular Malaysia. The depth at which low K_s could cause a perched water table in response to high-intensity rainfall, however, was too great to generate saturation overland flow on planar hillslopes in the study area. The effects of logging activity on K_s at five subsurface depths (0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1.0 m) on the non-roaded portion of the harvest area were examined at the three following sites, which differed in the degree of disturbance and recovery since timber harvesting: (1) selective logging conducted in the 1960s; (2) mechanized selective tree removal conducted 4 years ago; and (3) high-impact clear-cutting just prior to measurement. This recent logging greatly disturbed the soil surface (via compaction, topsoil/subsoil mixing, burning) and produced comparatively high variability in near-surface K_s. Changes in K_s at or below 0.25-m, however, were not detected with certainty at any sites. In terms of hillslope hydrologic response, the connectivity of zones of low K_s in the harvest area with dense networks of skid trails and terraces was identified as one of the most important consequences of timber harvesting, although this phenomenon was not quantified. We estimate the recovery time for near-surface K_s on the non-roaded hillslope to be less than 40 years.     

Measurement and evaluation of the hydraulic properties of horticultural substrates

Sustainable, environmentally friendly and resource-saving water and nutrient management in horticulture requires knowledge of the suitability of horticultural substrates for each specific application. One specific element is their hydraulic performance. To meet this requirement, methods are needed (1) to measure the hydraulic properties and (2) to evaluate the hydraulic quality of the horticultural substrates. The aim of this study was (1) to test the extended evaporation method and the HYPROP systems for quantifying the substrate’s hydraulic properties (the water retention curve, the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity function, the shrinkage dynamics, the bulk density), and (2) to develop a rating framework for assessing the hydraulic suitability of the substrates. The hydraulic evaluation was split into cultivation under free drainage in the ground and cultivation in containers. The hydraulic criteria related to high-quality horticultural substrates were defined as the amount of easily plant-available water, the air capacity and the height of capillary rise. Limiting factors could be water repellency effects and shrinkage. The rating framework consists of five classes between non-satisfactory and very good. It was tested on 23 commercial horticultural substrates. Both the measurement methods for quantifying soil hydraulic properties and the evaluation procedure proved applicable.     

Earthworm dynamics and soil physical properties in the first three years of no-till management

Earthworms are often referred to as ecosystem engineers due to their ability to alter the soil environment. Since earthworms influence a wide range of critical chemical and physical soil properties it is important to understand how their populations are impacted by soil management. Earthworms were sampled during the spring and summer of 2001, 2002, and 2003 from conventional tillage (CT) and no-till (NT) plots established in 2000. Although there was a strong trend for higher earthworm density in NT plots in 2001 (p = 0.08) and 2002 (p = 0.19), statistically significant differences were not detected between tillage treatments until 2003 (p = 0.04) when mean earthworm density was 37.7 individuals m⁻² in CT and 149.9 individuals m⁻² in NT during spring and 17.1 individuals m⁻² in CT and 58.4 individuals m⁻² in NT in summer. A high mortality rate between spring and summer, combined with greater cocoon production under NT suggests that the earthworm population turns over rapidly in NT plots. Data also suggest that adverse soil environmental conditions will limit earthworm density in these dryland agroecosystems. Despite significantly higher earthworm density after three years of NT management, soil bulk density, saturated hydraulic conductivity, and aggregate stability of the 0.5- to 1-mm size fraction were not different between the two tillage treatments. The apparent lack of impact of reduced disturbance and increased earthworm density on soil physical properties may be due to the short time this soil has been under NT management, limited seasonal earthworm activity due to environmental conditions, or differences in the scale at which soil physical properties have been affected after three years of NT management and the scale at which our measurements were made.