Modeling and correction of soil penetration resistance for varying soil water content

For this study penetration resistance (PR) was measured within the profiles of four Oxisols for a wide range of water contents (θ) and bulk densities. Obtained data were utilized to parameterize 23 previously applied regression models. The most promising models were selected to illustrate effects of soil texture on PR. Finally, a new correction method based on normalization of PR with θ corresponding to a matric potential of − 10 kPa was introduced. Evaluation of texture effects revealed that for very wet soils PR was lowest, but increased with clay content. PR at − 1500 kPa exhibited a maximum at clay content of 35% and at − 10 kPa PR was least affected by texture. From all regression models three- and two-parametric exponential and power functions yielded closest matches to measured data. The proposed correction significantly dampened the influence of θ on PR, which allows better comparison for a specific soil or among different soils.     

Evaluation of pedotransfer and measurement approaches to avoid soil compaction

On-farm approaches are needed to help farmers avoid soil compaction. It is the purpose of this paper to document the experience of using the Horn and Fleige [Horn, R., Fleige, H., 2003. A method for assessing the impact of load on mechanical stability and on physical properties of soils. Soil Till. Res. 73, 89–99] procedures to develop improved guidance to help farmers avoid compaction in agricultural operations in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, USA. A soil characterization database for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, USA, was used to provide input to the Horn and Fleige [Horn, R., Fleige, H., 2003. A method for assessing the impact of load on mechanical stability and on physical properties of soils. Soil Till. Res. 73, 89–99] approach to estimate the pre-consolidation stress and the maximum depth of compaction for 29 agricultural soils in Pennsylvania. The Horn and Fleige [Horn, R., Fleige, H., 2003. A method for assessing the impact of load on mechanical stability and on physical properties of soils. Soil Till. Res. 73, 89–99] approach was tentatively validated using previously measured pre-consolidation stress or penetration resistance values measured on five of the 29 soils. The estimated maximum depth of compaction indicated that an 89-kN (10-ton) axle load was excessive in almost all cases for soils at matric potentials of −33 and −6 kPa for both tillage and no-till management. A 53-kN (6-ton) axle load was acceptable for most cases when tillage was planned to a 0.20-m depth, but was excessive in most cases for no-till management at a matric potential of −6 kPa while mostly acceptable for no-till management at a matric potential of −33 kPa. Penetration resistance measurements are recommended to decide when a load is excessive.     

Prediction of the soil structures produced by tillage

Data are presented for the amount of clods >50 mm produced when five different soils were tilled at a range of different, naturally occurring water contents. The optimum water content for soil tillage is defined as that at which the amount of clods produced is minimum. The amount clods produced at this optimum water content is shown to be linearly and negatively correlated with the value of Dexter's index S of soil physical quality. This results in a rational model for soil tillage that enables predictions to be made for all different soils and conditions. Pedo-transfer functions can be used to estimate the input parameters for the model for cases, for which measured values are not available. It is concluded that for soils with good physical condition (i.e. S > 0.035), no clods >50 mm are produced during tillage.     

Soybean seedling root growth as influenced by soil texture,matric suction and bulk density

Abstract

Laboratory experiments were conducted under controlled conditions to determine the effect of five matric suctions (0.05, 0.10, 0.30, 1.00 and 3.00 bars) and three bulk densities (1.10, 1.30 and 1.50 g.cm^?3) on the moisture content, penetrometer resistance and soybean (Glycine max L.) root growth in six different soil textural groups (sand, silt, clay and their combinations).

The different textural groups were compacted in PVC pipes 4.4 cm ID and 10 cm long and placed in pressure cells to obtain the desired matric suction. After equilibrium five pregerminated soybean seedlings were fixed on the soil surface. At the end of 48 hours root elongation was measured.

There was an increase in root growth in all the textural groups at all the bulk densities when the matric suction was increased from 0.05 to 0.30 bar. There was however a gradual decrease in root growth as the matric suction increased from 0.30 to 3.0 bars. The reduction in root growth at low and high matric suctions was related to moisture content, change in soil resistance and redox status of the soil system.

The measured penetrometer resistance values were directly related to the level of compaction, soil matric suction and also were dependent upon the texture. Close relationships were recorded between redox potentials and soil matric suction.     

Multivariate approach to evaluate the penetrometer resistance in different tillage systems

At present, the penetrometer is the most widely used instrument for assessing in situ soil strength, one of the extrinsic factors affecting plant growth and crop productivity. In this paper we propose a method that discriminates penetrometer resistance due to different soil treatments, by means of Principal Component (PC) analysis. We hypothesized and demonstrated that penetrometer resistance values measured at different soil depths are correlated among themselves (multicollinearity). Considering measurements at each depth as different variables, PC analysis restructured data sets containing these correlated variables into a smaller number of components, whose scores were utilized in univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) to test differences among imposed soil treatments. We applied the procedure to penetrometer resistance values measured by means of a hand-held cone penetrometer in two long-term experiments conducted in southern Italy, on durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) under continuous cropping. In the first trial, four different soil tillage treatments were compared; in the second, two different tillages and two residue management systems were examined. In both trials, PC analysis reduced the original 14 depths of measurements into only 4 PC's, based on correlations of their resistance values, explaining more than 80% of the total variation. Furthermore, ANOVA applied to the scores of each PC, clearly indicated treatment effects on soil strength.

The proposed method has thus allowed assemblage a posteriori of penetration resistance data into only a few significative intervals, using correlations among the measurements made at the different depths. This way, the possible resistance differences due to tillage and/or management treatments have been more easily and more unambiguously showed.     

Laboratory evaluation of a model for soil crumbling for prediction of the optimum soil water content for tillage

A model for soil crumbling, called the capillary crumbling model (CCM) was introduced by Aluko and Koolen [Aluko, O.B., Koolen, A.J., 2000. The essential mechanics of capillary crumbling of structured agricultural soils. Soil Till. Res. 55, 117–126]. According to the CCM, the optimum soil water content for tillage (θ_OPT) may be defined as the water content at which the capillary bonding strength between aggregates is minimum. The objective of this study was to evaluate the CCM for the arable layer of 10 agricultural soils (sandy loam to clay textures) from semi-arid regions in western Iran. The results were compared with conventional soil workability limits such as 0.85 of the soil plastic limit (0.85θ_PL), Proctor critical water content (θ_Proctor), 0.6 or 0.7 of water content at matric suction of 50 hPa (0.6–0.7θ_50 hPa), and the Kretschmer optimum water content (θ_Kretschmer = θ_PL − 0.15(θ_LL − θ_PL)) where θ_LL is the soil liquid limit. Repacked soil cores were prepared from intact soil aggregates (0.50–4.75 mm) to 0.9 of the critical bulk density (to represent the soil conditions before tillage). Tensile strength and matric suction of the cores were determined at different soil water contents obtained by slow drying. The CCM provided evidence for the physics and mechanics of crumbling in the studied soils. It revealed that effective stresses are the dominant inter-aggregates forces, at least for the wet range of soil water content. A fall in strength of inter-aggregate bonds (i.e. tensile strength) was recorded due to water emptying from structural pores in a narrow range of matric suction (h_OPT) which was consistent with the model. With increasing soil organic matter and clay contents the fall became more distinct, indicating increased structural stability. The θ_OPT values determined by the CCM were found in the h_OPT range 551–612 hPa corresponding to 0.91–0.79θ_PL, which was in agreement with published values for the soil workability limit. Negative correlations between h_OPT and clay and organic matter contents clearly confirmed the increasing effect of soil structure on the enlargement of inter-aggregate pores. High correlations were observed between θ_OPT and 0.85θ_PL, θ_Proctor or 0.7θ_50 hPa. The results showed that the CCM might be recommended as a physically based method for the determination of θ_OPT. Considering the 1:1 relationships between θ_OPT and 0.85θ_PL or θ_Proctor, and easy determination of θ_PL and θ_Proctor, use of these indices is recommended in situations where the CCM is not applicable.     

Effect of deep ploughing on the water status of highly and less compacted soils for coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) production in Sri Lanka

Soil compaction limits soil water availability which adversely affects coconut production in Sri Lanka. Field experiments were conducted in coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) plantations with highly and less compacted soils in the intermediate climatic zone of Sri Lanka. Soil physical properties of sixteen major soil series planted with coconut were evaluated to select the most suitable soil series to investigate the effect of deep ploughing on soil water conservation. Soil compaction and soil water retention with respect to deep ploughing were monitored during the dry and rainy seasons using cone penetrometer and neutron scattering techniques, respectively. Evaluation of soil physical properties showed that the range of mean values of bulk density (BD) and soil penetration resistance (SPR) in the surface soil (0–10 cm depth) of major soil series in coconut lands was from 1.38 ± 0.02 to 1.57 ± 0.07 g/cm³ and 55 ± 10 to 315 ± 16.4 N/cm² respectively. The total available water fraction increased with clay content of soil as a result of high micropores. However, due to soil compaction, ability of soils to conserve water and to remain aerated was low for those series. Deep ploughing during the rainy and dry periods in highly compacted soils (BD > 1.5 g/cm³ and SPR > 250 N/cm²) greatly increased conserved soil water in the profile, while in less compacted soils (BD < 1.5 g/cm³ and SPR < 250 N/cm²) conserved water content was adversely affected. Soil water retention in bare soils of both highly and less compacted soil series was higher than that of live grass-covered soil. Amount of water conserved in ploughed Andigama series with respect to bare soils and grass-covered treatments during the severe dry period was 10.4 and 16.9 cm/m, while water storage reduction in the same treatments with ploughed Madampe series was 6.55 and 5.45 cm/m respectively. In addition, deep ploughing even in the effective root zone with live grass-covered highly compacted soils around coconut tree was favorable for soil water retention compared to that of live grass-covered less compacted soils.     

Measurement of penetration force using a Hall-current-sensor

Due to the evident influence of the penetration velocity on the measurement of cone index (CI), diverse motor-operated penetrometers have been designed to keep the velocity with a constant. In this paper, an attractive method to determine the penetration force for a motor-operated penetrometer was presented. Unlike other conventional methods employing various force sensors, this method used a Hall-current-sensor to dynamically measure the operating current of a permanent magnet dc-motor. For the proposed method, both a theoretical analysis related the operating current of the dc-motor to the penetration force and the measurement principle of the Hall-current-sensor were addressed. A soil column with three-layer water contents was used in the laboratory test. The experimental results confirm that the operating current of the dc-motor was a determinate indictor for estimating the penetration force.     

Evaluation of a combined penetrometer for simultaneous measurement of penetration resistance and soil water content

A combined penetrometer is an appropriate tool to measure the soil cone resistance and the water‐content profile. As a relatively new technique, a combined capacitance‐penetrometer for the simultaneous measurement of cone index and soil water content was developed at the Department of Agricultural Engineering of Bonn University in 2002. The objective of this study was the evaluation of the effectiveness and applicability of the innovated penetrometer with a focus on three aspects: (1) A capacitance sensor with two electrode configurations was calibrated for silt loam, sandy loam, and sand. The calibration results show that both electrode configurations have sufficient water‐content sensitivity, but soil‐specific calibrations seem necessary. (2) Under laboratory conditions, the dynamic resolution and response of the capacitance‐penetrometer were validated, and its radius of influence was determined. (3) The field measurement results demonstrate that this measurement technique can be used to improve the interpretation quality of soil cone index data.     

On-the-go measurement of soil water content and mechanical resistance by a combined horizontal penetrometer

A combined horizontal penetrometer was designed for the on-the-go and simultaneous measurement of soil water content and mechanical resistance. The maximum sampling rate for both sensors was 10 Hz and the maximum operating depth was 20 cm. For the water-content sensor, its measurement principle depends on the electric field of the fringe-capacitance. In order to evaluate the applicability of this combined penetrometer, four experiments in the field were carried out. These experiments included: (1) soil water content profiles test; (2) soil compaction measurement test; (3) effect of the operating velocity on the water content and resistant force measurement; (4) effect of operating depth on the force measurement. The experimental results show that the combined horizontal penetrometer is a practical tool since it can provide more useful information of soil physical properties.     

Comparison of artificial neural network and regression pedotransfer functions for prediction of soil water retention and saturated hydraulic conductivity

Modeling water flow and solute transport in vadose zone requires knowledge of soil hydraulic properties, which are water retention and hydraulic conductivity curves. As an alternative to direct measurement, indirect determination of these functions from basic soil properties using pedotransfer functions (PTFs) has attracted the attention of researchers in a variety of fields such as soil scientists, hydrologists, and agricultural and environmental engineers. In this study, PTFs for point and parametric (van Genuchten's parameters) estimation of soil hydraulic parameters from basic soil properties such as particle-size distribution, bulk density, and three different pore sizes were developed and validated using artificial neural network (ANN) and multiple-linear regression methods and the predictive capabilities of the two methods was compared using some evaluation criteria. Total of 195 soil samples was divided into two groups as 130 for the development and 65 for the validation of PTFs. Although the differences between the two methods were not statistically significant (p > 0.05), regression predicted point and parametric variables of soil hydraulic parameters better than ANN. Both methods had lower accuracy in parametric predictions than in point predictions. Accuracy of the predictions was evaluated by the coefficient of determination (R²) and the root mean square error (RMSE) between the measured and predicted parameter values. The R² and RMSE varied from 0.637 to 0.979 and from 0.013 to 0.938 for regression, and varied from 0.444 to 0.952 and from 0.020 to 3.511 for ANN, respectively. Even though regression performs insignificantly better than ANN in this case, ANN produces promising results and its advantages can be utilized by developing or using new algorithms in future studies.     

Methods for predicting the optimum and the range of soil water contents for tillage based on the water retention curve

Information is needed on the range of soil water contents for tillage. The objective of the work was to develop methods for the prediction of the soil water contents at which tillage may be done satisfactorily. Three water contents are considered: the lower (dry) limit, the optimum water content, and the upper (wet) limit. This paper makes a synthesis of published results from tillage and soil physics experiments and also includes some new experimental results. The effects of tillage are considered in relation to some “fixed points” including the lower plastic limit, field capacity and a new fixed point “the inflection point”. These considerations lead to methods for prediction of the lower (dry) tillage limit, the optimum water content, and the upper (wet) tillage limit in terms of the parameters of the van Genuchten equation for soil water retention. Predictions can be made in terms of soil composition through the use of pedotransfer functions for the parameters of the van Genuchten equation. The new methods will enable the effects of soil degradation and climate change on tillage work days to be estimated. The results are potentially mappable using geographic information systems.     

Effects of compaction on soil hydraulic properties,penetration resistance and water flow patterns at the soil profile scale

The aim of this study was to quantify the effects of compaction on water flow patterns at the soil profile scale. Control and trafficked plots were established in field trials at two sites. The trafficked treatment was created by four passes track‐by‐track with a three‐axle dumper with a maximum wheel load of 5.8 Mg. One year later, dye‐tracing experiments were performed and several soil mechanical, physical and hydraulic properties were measured to help explain the dye patterns. Penetration resistance was measured to 50 cm depth, with saturated hydraulic conductivity (K_s), bulk density, and macroporosity and mesoporosity being measured on undisturbed soil cores sampled from three depths (10, 30 and 50 cm). Significant effects of the traffic treatment on the structural pore space were found at 30 cm depth for large mesopores (0.3–0.06 mm diameter), but not small mesopores (0.06–0.03 mm) or macroporosity (pores > 0.3 mm). At one of the sites, ponding was observed during the dye‐tracing experiments, especially in the trafficked plots, because of the presence of a compacted layer at plough depth characterized by a larger bulk density and smaller structural porosity and K_s values. Ponding did not induce any preferential transport of the dye solution into the subsoil at this site. In contrast, despite the presence of a compacted layer at 25–30 cm depth, a better developed structural porosity in the subsoil was noted at the other site which allowed preferential flow to reach to at least 1 m depth in both treatments.     

Estimating the water retention curve from soil properties: comparison of linear, nonlinear and concomitant variable methods

The unsaturated soil hydraulic functions involving the soil–water retention curve (SWRC) and the hydraulic conductivity provide useful integrated indices of soil quality. Existing and newly devised methods were used to formulate pedotransfer functions (PTFs) that predict the SWRC from readily available soil data. The PTFs were calibrated using a large soils database from Hungary. The database contains measured soil–water retention data, the dry bulk density, sand, silt and clay percentages, and the organic matter content of 305 soil layers from some 80 soil profiles. A three-parameter van Genuchten type function was fitted to the measured retention data to obtain SWRC parameters for each soil sample in the database. Using a quasi-random procedure, the database was divided into “evaluation” (EVAL) and “test” (TEST) parts containing 225 and 80 soil samples, respectively. Linear PTFs for the SWRC parameters were calculated for the EVAL database. The PTFs used for this purpose particle-size percentages, dry bulk density, organic matter content, and the sand/silt ratio, as well as simple transforms (such as logarithms and products) of these independent variables. Of the various independent variables, the eight most significant were used to calculate the different PTFs. A nonlinear (NL) predictive method was obtained by substituting the linear PTFs directly into the SWRC equation, and subsequently adjusting the PTF parameters to all retention data of the EVAL database. The estimation error (SSQ) and efficiency (EE) were used to compare the effectiveness of the linear and nonlinearly adjusted PTFs. We found that EE of the EVAL and the TEST databases increased by 4 and 7%, respectively, using the second nonlinear optimization approach. To further increase EE, one measured retention data point was used as an additional (concomitant) variable in the PTFs. Using the 20 kPa water retention data point in the linear PTFs improved the EE by about 25% for the TEST data set. Nonlinear adjustment of the concomitant variable PTF using the 20 kPa retention data point as concomitant variable produced the best PTF. This PTF produced EE values of 93 and 88% for the EVAL and TEST soil data sets, respectively.     

Applicability of site-specific pedotransfer functions and rosetta model for the estimation of dynamic soil hydraulic properties under different vegetation covers

Background, Aims, and Scope  During the last decades, different methods have been developed to determine soil hydraulic properties in the field and laboratory. These methodologies are frequently time-consuming and/or expensive. An indirect method, named Pedotransfer Functions (PTFs), was developed to predict soil hydraulic properties using other easily measurable soil (physical and chemical) parameters. This work evaluates the use of the PTFs included in the Rosetta model (Schaap et al. 2001) and compares them with PTFs obtained specifically for soils under two different vegetation covers. Methods  Rosetta software includes two basic types of pedotransfer functions (Class PTF and Continuous PTF), allowing the estimation of van Genuchten water retention parameters using limited (textural classes only) or more extensive (texture, bulk density and one or two water retention measurements) input data. We obtained water retention curves from undisturbed samples using the ‘sand box’ method for potentials between saturation and 20 kPa, and the pressure membrane method for potentials between 100 and 1500 kPa. Physical properties of sampled soils were used as input variables for the Rosetta model and to determine site-specific PTFs. Results  The Rosetta model accurately predicts water content at field capacity, but clearly underestimates it at saturation. Poor agreement between observed and estimated values in terms of root mean square error were obtained for the Rosetta model in comparison with specific PTFs. Discrepancies between both methods are comparable to results obtained by other authors. Conclusions  Site-specific PTFs predicted the van Genuchten parameters better than Rosetta model. Pedotransfers functions have been a useful tool to solve the water retention capacity for soils located in the southern Pyrenees, where the fine particle size and organic matter content are higher. The Rosetta model showed good predictions for the curve parameters, even though the uncertainty of the data predicted was higher than for the site-specific PTFs. Recommendations and Perspectives  The Rosetta model accurately predicts the retention curve parameters when the use is related with wide soil types; nevertheless, if we want to obtain good predictors using a homogenous soil database, specific PTFs are required. ESS-Submission Editor: Prof. Zhihong Xu, PhD (zhihong.xu@griffith.edu.au)     

基于传递函数的土壤数据库缺失数据的填补研究

数据缺失在土壤调查研究中是一个非常普遍的现象,处理不当一定程度上会影响研究结果的可靠性。土壤转换函数(pedotransfer functions,PTFs)是简单、快速、大批量填补土壤数据库缺失信息的有效手段。但目前分析和厘定我国土壤数据库缺失数据特征的研究较少,针对土壤数据库缺失数据的填补方法也亟待规范。本文对我国第二次土壤普查数据库进行分析,探讨该数据库的数据缺失特征,并对数据缺失严重的土壤属性进行预测,以期为今后的土壤数据库缺失数据填补工作提供参考。总体来看,质地(砂粒、粉粒和黏粒含量)、pH、有机质、全氮、全磷、全钾是土壤普查中最基础的调查项目,这些土壤属性信息的完整性最好。有效磷、速效钾和阳离子交换量数据有一定的缺失。碱解氮、容重、砾石含量、各种类型氧化铁数据缺失严重。在填补缺失数据时,建议首先考虑模型的稳定性,尽量使用那些相对稳定且数据完整性好的土壤属性来预测缺失数据。我国第二次土壤普查数据库基本都缺少空间属性信息,在填补缺失数据时最好采用简单而相对稳定的回归模型。利用回归分析得到的土壤传递函数可以较好地实现容重、碱解氮和部分阳离子交换量缺失数据的填补工作。尽管如此,由于部分土壤属性信息有一定的时效性,应用传递函数时要注意数据源的历史背景。     

土壤质地空间预测方法比较

土壤质地作为成分数据（compositional data）的一种,其空间插值需满足非负、定和、误差最小和无偏估计4个条件。采用成分克里格法（compositional Kriging）和基于对数比转换的普通克里格法对土壤质地各颗粒组成进行空间预测,均方根误差（root mean squared errors,RMSE）和标准化克里格方差（mean squared deviation ratio,MSDR）分别被用来衡量不同方法的预测精度及模型拟合效果。研究结果表明：对数比转换的普通克里格法和成分克里格法能够保证插值结果满足成分数据插值的4个条件;成分克里格法预测的各土壤颗粒组成的RMSE最小,预测精度最高,其黏粒RMSE值相对于非对称对数比转换的普通克里格法提高将近17%;成分克里格法的变异函数拟合效果总体上好于其他两种预测方法,预测结果极差更宽,更能反映土壤质地各颗粒组成与高程、母质和水域分布的关系。     

Shear strength of surface soil as affected by soil bulk density and soil water content

This paper proposes a new method to measure the soil strength parameters at soil surface in order to explain the processes of soil erosion and sealing formation. To simulate the interlocks between aggregates or particles within top 2 mm of the soil, a piece of sandpaper (30 particles cm⁻²) was stuck on the bottom face of a plastic box of diameter of 6.8 cm with stiffening glue and used as shear media. The soil strength for the soils from sandy loam to clayey loam was measured with penetrometer and the new shear device at soil surface at different bulk density and soil water content. The normal stresses of 2, 5, 8, 10 and 20 hPa were applied for the new shear device. The results indicated that significant effect of bulk density on soil strength was detected in most cases though the difference in bulk density was small, ranging from 0.01 to 0.09 g cm⁻³. It was also indicated that the measurement with the new shear device at soil surface was reproducible. The changes in soil shear strength parameters due to changes in bulk density and soil moisture were explainable with the Mohr–Coulomb’s failure equation and the principles of the effective stress for the unsaturated soils. The implications of the method were later discussed.     

Correction of cone index for soil water content differences in a coastal plain soil

Soil penetration resistance (cone index) varies with water content. The field variation of water content could mask treatment differences. The correction of cone index data to a single water content would help prevent this. We used equations from TableCurve^™ software and from the literature to correct cone indices for differences in soil water contents. Data were taken from two field experiments where cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) was grown using conventional and conservation tillage without irrigation, and beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) were grown using conventional tillage with microirrigation. Boundary conditions based on hard, dry and soft, wet soils were imposed on the equations. Equations fit the data with coefficients of determination ranging from 0.55 to 0.92 and error mean squares from 1.37 to 6.35. After correction, cone index dependence on water content was reduced. A single-equation correction did not always fit the data across all treatments. Separate corrections, based on treatment, might be required. When corrections required multiple equations, differences may be real or may be a manifestation of the correction differences. In this case, the correction may not be feasible (unless some future work can coordinate different equations and assure a uniform correction).