Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Encyclopedia of Agrophysics pp 770–777Cite as

Soil Physical Quality

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

Synonyms

Soil physical health

Definition

Soil Physical Quality is the ability of a given soil to meet plant and ecosystem requirements for water, aeration, and strength over time and to resist and recover from processes that might diminish that ability. Concepts of soil physical quality can be applied to individual soil horizons, profiles, or areas classified to a common soil type.

Introduction

Soil physical quality is determined by a combination of soil texture, structure, and morphology and relates to the capacity of a soil to function (Karlen et al., 1997). Soil texture, the relative proportions of sand, silt, and clay in the soil and soil structure, the arrangement of these mineral components with soil organic matter, are described elsewhere (See Soil Phases ). Soil morphology describes how soil looks, is handled, and behaves in the field. Morphology is usually determined through soil survey taking into account soil depth, stoniness, and the presence and depth of various horizons...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
EUR   29.95
Price includes VAT (France)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
EUR   426.93
Price includes VAT (France)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Bibliography

  • Aalders, I., Hough, R. L., Towers, W., Black, H. I. J., Ball, B., Griffiths, B., Hopkins, D. W., Lilly, A., McKenzie, B. M., Rees, R. M., Sinclair, A., Watson, C., and Campbell, C. D., 2009. Considerations for Scottish soil monitoring in the European context. European Journal of Soil Science, 60, 833–843.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bodman, G. B., 1949. Methods of measuring soil consistency. Soil Science, 68, 37–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boone, F. R., 1988. Weather and other environmental factors influencing crop responses to tillage and traffic. Soil and Tillage Research, 11, 283–324.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boone, F. R., van der Werf, H. M. G., Kroesbergen, B., ten Hag, B. A., and Boers, A., 1986. The effect of compaction of the arable layer in sandy soils on the growth of maize for silage. 1. Critical matric water potentials in relation to soil aeration and mechanical impedance. Netherlands Journal of Agricultural Science, 34, 155–171.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bouma, J., and Droogers, G., 1998. A procedure to derive land quality indicators for sustainable agricultural production. Geoderma, 85, 103–110.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cass, A., Cockroft, B., and Tisdall, J. M., 1993. New approaches to vineyard and orchard soil preparation and management. In Hayes, P. F. (ed.), ASVO seminar vineyard development and redevelopment, Mildura, Victoria. Adelaide: ASVO, pp. 18–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cavalieri, K. M. V., da Silva, A. P., Tormena, C. A., Leao, T. P.,Dexter, A. R., and Hakansson, I., 2009. Long-term effects of no-tillage on dynamic soil physical properties in a Rhodic Ferrssol in Parana, Brazil. Soil and Tillage Research, 103, 158–164.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chepil, W. S., 1962. A compact rotary sieve and the importance of dry sieving in physical soil analysis. Soil Science Society of America Proceedings, 26, 4–6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chow, T. L., Rees, H. W., Monteith, J. O., Toner, P., and Lavoie, J., 2007. Effects of coarse fragment content on soil physical properties, soil erosion and potato production. Canadian Journal of Soil Science, 87, 565–577.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, L. J., Whalley, W. R., and Barraclough, P. B., 2003. How do roots penetrate strong soil. Plant and Soil, 255, 93–104.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cockroft, B., and Olsson, K. A., 1997. Case study of soil quality in south-eastern Australia: management of structure for roots in duplex soils. In Gregorich, E. G., and Carter, M. R. (eds.), Soil Quality for Crop Production and Ecosystem Health. Amsterdam: Elsevier, pp. 339–350.

    Google Scholar 

  • Czyż, E., 2004. Effects of traffic on soil aeration, bulk density and growth of spring barley. Soil and Tillage Research, 79, 153–166.

    Google Scholar 

  • da Silva, A. P., and Kay, B. D., 1996. The sensitivity of shoot growth of corn to the least limiting water range of soils. Plant and Soil, 184, 323–329.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • da Silva, A. P., and Kay, B. D., 1997. Effect of soil water content variation on the least limiting water range. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 61, 884–888.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • da Silva, A. P., Kay, B. D., and Perfect, E., 1994. Characterization of the least limiting water range of soils. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 58, 1775–1781.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dexter, A. R., 1988. Advances in the characterization of soil structure. Soil and Tillage Research, 57, 203–212.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dexter, A. R., 2004a. Soil physical quality. Part 1 theory, effects of soil texture, density, and organic matter, and effects on root growth. Geoderma, 120, 210–214.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dexter, A. R., 2004b. Soil physical quality. Part 11. Friability, tillage, tilth and hard-setting. Geoderma, 120, 215–225.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dexter, A. R., and Bird, N. R. A., 2001. Methods for predicting the optimum and the range of water contents for tillage based on the water retention curve. Soil and Tillage Research, 11, 199–238.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grant, C. D., Watts, C. W., Dexter, A. R., and Frahn, B. S., 1995. An analysis of the fragmentation of remoulded soils, with regard to self-mulching behavior. Australian Journal of Soil Research, 33, 569–583.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gregory, P. J., 2006. Plant Roots Growth, Activity and Interaction with Soils. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gregory, A. S., Watts, C. W., Whalley, W. R., Kuan, H. L., Griffiths, B. S., Hallett, P. D., and Whitmore, A. P., 2007. Physical resilience of soil to field compaction and the interactions with plant growth and microbial community structure. European Journal of Soil Science, 58, 1221–1232.

    Google Scholar 

  • Griffiths, B. S., Hallett, P. D., Kuan, H. L., Pitkin, Y., and Aitken, M. N., 2005. Biological and physical resilience of soil amended with heavy metal-contaminated sewage sludge. European Journal of Soil Science, 56, 197–205.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hillel, D., 1998. Environmental Soil Physics. San Diego: Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karlen, D. L., Mausbach, M. J., Doran, J. W., Cline, R. G., Harris, R. F., and Schuman, G. E., 1997. Soil quality: a concept, definition, and framework for evaluation (a guest editorial). Soil Science Society of America Journal, 61, 4–10.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kaufmann, M., Tobias, S., and Schulin, R., 2009. Quality evaluation of restored soils with a fuzzy logic expert system. Geoderma, 151, 290–302.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keller, T., Arvidsson, J., and Dexter, A. R., 2007. Soil structures produced by tillage as affected by soil water content and the physical quality of soil. Soil and Tillage Research, 92, 45–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kerry, R., Rawlins, B. G., Olivar, M. A., and Lacinska, A. M., 2009. Problems with determining the particle size distribution of chalk soil and some of their implications. Geoderma, 152, 324–337.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kirkegaard, J. A., So, H. B., and Troedson, R. J., 1992. The effect of soil strength on the growth of pigeon pea radicles and seedlings. Plant and Soil, 140, 65–74.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kirkham, M. B., 2005. Principles of Soil and Plant Water Relations. Boston: Elsevier Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lal, R., 1993. Tillage effects on soil degradation, soil resilience, soil quality, and sustainability — introduction. Soil and Tillage Research, 27, 1–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leao, T. P., da Silva, A. P., Macedo, M. C. M., Imhoff, S., and Euclides, V. P. B., 2006. Least limiting water range: a potential indicator of changes in near-surface soil physical quality after the conversion of Brazilian Savanna into pasture. Soil and Tillage Research, 88, 279–285.

    Google Scholar 

  • Letey, J., 1985. Relationship between soil physical properties and crop production. In Stewart, B. A. (ed.), Advances in Soil Science. New York: Springer, Vol. 1.

    Google Scholar 

  • Licht, M. A., and Al-Kaisi, M., 2005. Strip-tillage effect on seedbed soil temperature and other soil physical properties. Soil and Tillage Research, 80, 233–249.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marshall, T. J., Holmes, J. W., and Rose, C. W., 1996. Soil Physics, 3rd edn. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moldrup, P., Olesen, T., Schjonning, P., Yamaguchi, T., and Rolston, D. E., 2000. Predicting the gas diffusion coefficient in undisturbed soil from soil water characteristics. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 64, 94–100.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Munkholm, L. J., and Kay, B. D., 2002. Effect of water regime on aggregate-tensile strength, rupture energy and friability. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 66, 702–709.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Oades, J. M., 1993. The role of biology in the formation, stabilization and degradation of soil structure. Geoderma, 56, 377–400.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oades, J. M., and Waters, A. G., 1991. Aggregate hierarchy in soils. Australian Journal of Soil Research, 29, 815–828.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds, W. D., Drury, C. F., Yang, X. M., and Tan, C. S., 2008. Optimal soil physical quality inferred through structural regression and parameter interactions. Geoderma, 146, 466–474.

    Google Scholar 

  • Singh, G., Jalota, S. K., and Singh, Y., 2007. Manuring and residue management effects on physical properties of a soil under rice-wheat system in Punjab, India. Soil and Tillage Research, 94, 229–238.

    Google Scholar 

  • Six, J., Paustian, K., Elliott, E. T., and Combrink, C., 2000a. Soil structure and organic matter: I. Distribution of aggregate-size classes and aggregate-associated carbon. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 64, 681–689.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Six, J., Elliott, E. T., and Paustian, K., 2000b. Soil structure and soil organic matter: II. A normalized stability index and the effect of mineralogy. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 64, 1042–1049.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Soil Science Society of America Inc, 2001. Glossary of Soil Science Terms. Madison: Soil Science Society of America Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tisdall, J. M., and Adem, H. H., 1988. An example of custom prescribed tillage in south-eastern Australia. Journal of Agricultural Engineering Research, 40, 23–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tisdall, J. M., and Oades, J. M. H., 1982. Organic matter and water-stable aggregates in soils. Journal of Soil Science, 33, 141–163.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tormena, C. A., da Silva, A. P., and Libardi, P. L., 1999. Soil physical quality of a Brazilian Oxisol under two tillage systems using the least limiting water range approach. Soil and Tillage Research, 52, 223–232.

    Google Scholar 

  • Utomo, W. H., and Dexter, A. R., 1981. Soil friability. Journal of Soil Science, 32, 203–213.

    Google Scholar 

  • van Genuchten, M. T., 1980. A closed-form equation for predicting the hydraulic conductivity of unsaturated soils. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 44, 892–898.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vance, W. H., McKenzie, B. M., and Tisdall, J. M., 2002. The stability of soils used for cropping in northern Victoria and southern New South Wales. Australian Journal of Soil Research, 40, 615–624.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watts, C. W., and Dexter, A. R., 1998. Soil friability: theory, measurement and the effects of management and organic carbon content. European Journal of Soil Science, 49, 73–84.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wheaton, A. D., McKenzie, B. M., and Tisdall, J. M., 2008. Management to increase the depth of soft soil improves soil conditions and grapevine performance in an irrigated vineyard. Soil and Tillage Research, 98, 68–80.

    Google Scholar 

  • White, R. E., 2006. Principles and Practice of Soil Science The Soil as a Natural Resource, 4th edn. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environment–Plant Interactions, Scottish Crop Research Institute, Invergowrie, DD2 5DA, Dundee, UK

    Blair M. McKenzie

  2. Department of Agricultural Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Bundoora, 3086, VIC, Australia

    Judith M. Tisdall

  3. School of Environmental Science, Murdoch University, 6150, Murdoch, WA, Australia

    Wendy H. Vance

Authors
  1. Blair M. McKenzie
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Judith M. Tisdall
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Wendy H. Vance
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Blair M. McKenzie .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Agrophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lublin, Poland

    Jan Gliński , Józef Horabik  & Jerzy Lipiec ,  & 

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

About this entry

Cite this entry

McKenzie, B.M., Tisdall, J.M., Vance, W.H. (2011). Soil Physical Quality. In: Gliński, J., Horabik, J., Lipiec, J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Agrophysics. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3585-1_153

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation