Abstract
The formation of cracks in clay soils is a physical process with important agricultural repercussions. The specific case occupying us refers to a dryland olive grove (Olea europaea) grown on a vertisol in the countryside of Córdoba (Spain). For two consecutive years, rates of 20 Mg ha-1 of composted sewage sludge have been applied on this land to attempt to improve the physical and chemical properties of the soil. This study proposes a method for the measurement of cracks in clay soil during a desiccation period in trays. The measurement of the cracked area generated in each treatment (20 Mg ha-1 of compost and control) throughout the time, is done on digital photographs, previously orthorectified. The area of cracks generated after a desiccation process decreased by 7% in clay soils amended with composted sewage sludge. Additionally, the soil shrinkage characteristic curve (SSCC) can be obtained.
Highlights
The formation of cracks associated with changes in volume produced in clay soils with their variation in moisture has an important agronomic repercussion
This work proposes a method for the measurement of cracked areas and the prediction of the shrinkage characteristic curve (SSCC) proposed by Mitchell (1992), using for this purpose the orthorectification and subsequent analysis of digital images taken on different days during the drying process of a clay soil
The errors committed in the IDRISI rectification give a root mean square (RMS), which describes the positional error of the control points in relation to the mathematical equations calculated
Summary
The formation of cracks associated with changes in volume produced in clay soils with their variation in moisture has an important agronomic repercussion. This work proposes a method for the measurement of cracked areas and the prediction of the SSCC proposed by Mitchell (1992), using for this purpose the orthorectification and subsequent analysis of digital images taken on different days during the drying process of a clay soil.
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