Size of subsoil clods affects soil-water availability in sand–clay mixtures
Giacomo Betti A , Cameron D. Grant A B , Robert S. Murray A and G. Jock Churchman A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A University of Adelaide, School of Agriculture, Food & Wine, Waite Campus PMB 1, Glen Osmond, SA 5064, Australia.
B Corresponding author. Email: cameron.grant@adelaide.edu.au
Soil Research 54(3) 276-290 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR15115
Submitted: 22 April 2015 Accepted: 18 July 2015 Published: 11 April 2016
Abstract
Clay delving in strongly texture-contrast soils brings up subsoil clay in clumps ranging from large clods to tiny aggregates depending on the equipment used and the extent of secondary cultivation. Clay delving usually increases crop yields but not universally; this has generated questions about best management practices. It was postulated that the size distribution of the subsoil clumps created by delving might influence soil-water availability (and hence crop yield) because, although the clay increases water retention in the root-zone, it can also cause poor soil aeration, high soil strength and greatly reduced hydraulic conductivity. We prepared laboratory mixtures of sand and clay-rich subsoil in amounts considered practical (10% and 20% by weight) and excessive (40% and 60% by weight) with different subsoil clod sizes (<2, 6, 20 and 45 mm), for which we measured water retention, soil resistance, and saturated hydraulic conductivity. We calculated soil water availability by traditional means (plant-available water, PAW) and by the integral water capacity (IWC). We found that PAW increased with subsoil clay, particularly when smaller aggregates were used (≤6 mm). However, when the potential restrictions on PAW were taken into account, the benefits of adding clay reached a peak at ~40%, beyond which IWC declined towards that of pure subsoil clay. Furthermore, the smaller the aggregates the less effective they were at increasing IWC, particularly in the practical range of application rates (<20% by weight). We conclude that excessive post-delving cultivation may not be warranted and may explain some of the variability found in crop yields after delving.
Additional keywords: aggregate size distribution, soil physical limitation, sandy soils, tillage.
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