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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 45(6)

Relationships between field texture and particle-size distribution in Australia and their implications

Budiman Minasny A D , Alex B. McBratney A , Damien J. Field A , Grant Tranter A , Neil J. McKenzie B and Daniel M. Brough C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.

B CSIRO Land and Water, Canberra, ACT, Australia.

C Department of Natural Resources and Water, Indooroopilly, Qld, Australia.

D Corresponding author. Email: b.minasny@usyd.edu.au

Australian Journal of Soil Research 45(6) 428-437 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR07051
Submitted: 7 May 2007  Accepted: 24 August 2007   Published: 20 September 2007

Abstract

This paper aims to establish the means and ranges of clay, silt, and sand contents from field texture classes, and to investigate the differences in the field texture classes and texture determined from particle-size analysis. The results of this paper have 2 practical applications: (1) to estimate the particle size distribution and its uncertainty from field texture as input to pedotransfer functions, and (2) to examine the criteria of texture contrast soils in the Australian Soil Classification system. Estimates of clay, silt, and sand content for each field texture class are given and this allows the field texture classes to be plotted in the texture triangle. There are considerable differences between field texture classes and particle-size classes. Based on the uncertainties in determining the clay content from field texture, we establish the probability of the occurrence of a texture contrast soil according to the Australian Soil Classification system, given the texture of the B2 horizon and its overlying A horizon.

I enjoy doing the soil-texture feel test with my fingers or kneading a clay soil, which is a short step from ceramics or sculpture. Hans Jenny (1984)


Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge the support of Australian Research Council through its funding of a Linkage Project on Soil Inference Systems.


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