Effect of water content of soil at tillage on size-distribution of aggregates and infiltration.

Abstract

In beds of a silty soil in northern Victoria, the wetter the soil (up to a water content of 24 g/100 g soil) when tilled, the less dust (i.e. particles (0.5 mm diameter) and the more clods (particles >20 mm diameter) were formed. Almost no water infiltrated into the beds tilled at a water content of 24% (w/w). In the remaining beds, tilled at water contents ranging from 11 to 22%, infiltration from water confined to 8 cm depth in the furrow was inversely related to the percentage of dust (r2 = 0.57, P< 0.01), and directly related percentage of clods >20 mm diameter (r2 = 0.42, P< 0.01).