GGR227H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 21: Soil Compaction, Soil Management, Bulk Density
Document Summary
Organic and inorganic solids, liquids of various kinds and gases in intimate contact with the solid phase comprise the three-phase system that is soil. Soil management includes management of all three phases but emphasis is typically on the solid and liquid phases. The temporal changes to the solid phase are slow to occur but spatial variability is often great. Physical degradation of soil most often reflects a change in the total volume or size distribution of the pores brought about by reorganization of the solid phase. Ultimately, these processes influence crop growth and environmental quality. Pore continuity and tortuosity also affect the rate of fluid flow through soil. Soil compaction is the process that rearranges the soil solid phase into a more compact arrangement, resulting in higher bulk or apparent density, increased soil strength, smaller total pore volume and decreased macropores (logsdon and. Bulk density or apparent density is the mass of solid particles per unit volume (eq.
