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SoilFlex ‐LLWR: linking a soil compaction model with the least limiting water range concept
Author(s) -
Keller T.,
Silva A. P.,
Tormena C. A.,
Giarola N. F. B.,
Cavalieri K. M. V.,
Stettler M.,
Arvidsson J.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
soil use and management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.709
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1475-2743
pISSN - 0266-0032
DOI - 10.1111/sum.12175
Subject(s) - environmental science , loam , limiting , soil science , soil water , engineering , mechanical engineering
Soil compaction impacts growing conditions for plants: it increases the mechanical resistance to root growth and modifies the soil pore system and consequently the supply of water and oxygen to the roots. The least limiting water range ( LLWR ) defines a range of soil water contents within which root growth is minimally limited with regard to water supply, aeration and penetration resistance. The LLWR is a function of soil bulk density ( BD ), and hence directly affected by soil compaction. In this paper, we present a new model, ‘ SoilFlex ‐ LLWR ’, which combines a soil compaction model with the LLWR concept. We simulated the changes in LLWR due to wheeling with a self‐propelled forage harvester on a Swiss clay loam soil (Gleyic Cambisol) using the new SoilFlex ‐ LLWR model, and compared measurements of the LLWR components as a function of BD with model estimations. SoilFlex ‐ LLWR allows for predictions of changes in LLWR due to compaction caused by agricultural field traffic and therefore provides a quantitative link between impact of soil loading and soil physical conditions for root growth.