Abstract
Experimental determination of water unstable fractions (WUF) produced by rain or irrigation and potentially transportable in runoff, from spatially variable landscape in a farm is expensive and time consuming. This paper shows how soil survey data, particularly textural characteristics, are used to predict spatially variable WUF employing the pedotransfer function (PTF) technique. Aggregate stability after wet shaking in water was measured for soils from 9 different sites, separated by >100 km. Analysis of variance indicated that soil type and water content (θ) at sampling significantly influenced WUF and it ranged from 0.46 to 0.80 g g−1 across soils. The PTF analysis indicated that WUF was a function of soil clay and organic matter (SOM) contents, and θ at sampling (R2=0.75). The amount of clay or SOM present in unit mass of WUF also depended on soil clay and OM contents and θ at sampling (R2=0.75 and 0.55, respectively). The developed PTF were then used to predict WUF from a spatially variable landscape, different from the previous 9 sites. The predicted WUF agreed with the corresponding experimentally determined values. The results indicated that soil survey data can also be used for estimating spatially variable WUF. Reliable WUF estimates for spatially variable landscapes may help land managers to undertake priority based soil conservation and management strategies.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
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 callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
