Abstract
A procedure for measuring soil cracks in certain Vertisols of the Sudan was developed. This included the use of plate cut like a bilateral with a base 12 cm long and a head angle of 22 °30. The two sides of the bilateral were graduated to read the width of a crack. The depth was measured by flexible graduated metal probes. Measurements were made along a straight line andthe frequency and volume of cracks determined. It was found that the widths of the cracks are affected by the length of drying period, the kind of soil and by the clay content. Irrigation reduces the volume of cracks in the Gezira cotton-growing area. The volume of cracks under natural vegetation was not altered by kind of vegetation. However, grass increases their volume in the surface layers and trees increases it at the deep layers. Thus the total volume of cracks in the upper layers of all soils studied is much affected by soil history and vegetation.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
