Applicability of the photogrammetry technique to determine the volume and the bulk density of small soil aggregates
D. Moret-Fernández A C , B. Latorre A , C. Peña A , C. González-Cebollada B and M. V. López A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Departamento de Suelo y Agua, Estación Experimental de Aula Dei, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (EEAD-CSIC), Avenida Montañana 1005, 50059 Zaragoza, Spain.
B Área de Mecánica de Fluidos, Escuela Politécnica Superior de Huesca—Universidad de Zaragoza, Carretera de Cuarte s/n. 22071, Huesca, Spain.
C Corresponding author. Email: david@eead.csic.es
Soil Research 54(3) 354-359 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR15163
Submitted: 4 June 2015 Accepted: 24 July 2015 Published: 13 April 2016
Abstract
Aggregate density (ρ) is defined as the relationship between the mass and the volume occupied by an aggregate. Previous studies have characterised ρ on large to medium-sized soil aggregates (>4 mm diameter); however, little information is available for smaller aggregates (<4 mm). The objective of this study was to test the viability of the photogrammetry (PHM) technique to determine the volume and subsequent ρ of small soil aggregates (1–8 mm diameter). The method uses a standard digital camera that photographs a rotating aggregate and reconstructs its three-dimensional surface and the corresponding volume. To validate the method, the volume estimated with PHM on rough stones of different sizes (1–16 mm diameter) was compared with the corresponding volume measured by the Archimedes’ principle. The method was tested on soil aggregates 1–8 mm in diameter, collected from two sites under conventional and conservation tillage treatments. The strong correlation (R2 > 0.99, P < 0.0001) between the volumes estimated on rough stones with the PHM and Archimedes methods demonstrates that this technique can be satisfactorily used to estimate the volume and, consequently, the ρ of small soil aggregates. The results showed an increase in ρ with decreasing aggregate size. A general trend of increasing ρ with the degree of soil disturbance by tillage was also observed.
Additional keywords: aggregate surface, soil clods, tillage system.
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