Improvement of physical properties of clay loam soil by biological means
2001
Maiksteniene, S. | Arlauskiene, A. (Lithuanian Inst. of Agriculture, Joniskelis (Lithuania). Joniskelis Research Station)
Abundance of physical clay particles in heavy-texture soils results in the occurrence of negative physical soil properties such as increased cohesion, which determines a very short period of physical soil maturity. The experimental objective was to study the effect of biological means (humus content increasing) on the improvement of clay soils' physical properties. The soil under investigation was Calcari - Hypostagnic - Luvisols, clay loam on silty clay. We investigated the effect of red clover, bastard lucerne, vetch and oats mixture and their green material used as green manure on humus content, structure, bulk density and total porosity of heavy soils. It was ascertained that bastard lucerne accumulated the highest content of humus due to very well developed root system and a large amount of plant residues in the soil. The best soil structure was determined to be after lucerne and clover. The content of agronomically valuable structural aggregates (0,25 - 10,0 mm) was 72,1 and 68,2 per cent respectively, which was by 10,1 and 4,1 per cent higher than that after vetch and oats mixture. Clover gave the greatest increase in the amount of structural aggregates in the 0 - 10 cm depth, lucerne in the 0 - 20 cm depth. Lucerne had a greater effect on the stability of soil structural aggregates as compared with clover and vetch and oats mixture. Lucerne also determined a significant reduction in soil bulk density and an increase in soil porosity. Green and farmyard manure had a negligible tendency to reduce soil bulk density and increase total porosity
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