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Controlled Soil Cracking as a Possible Means of Moisture Conservation on Wheatlands of the Southwestern Great Plains 1
Author(s) -
Johnson Wendell C.
Publication year - 1962
Publication title -
agronomy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1435-0645
pISSN - 0002-1962
DOI - 10.2134/agronj1962.00021962005400040013x
Subject(s) - cracking , moisture , classification of discontinuities , environmental science , water content , agronomy , soil water , penetration (warfare) , soil science , geotechnical engineering , geology , materials science , mathematics , biology , composite material , mathematical analysis , operations research
Synopsis Discontinuities in moisture extraction leading to soil cracking in a predetermined pattern were caused by removal of a portion of the stand in a field of wheat. Depending on orientation, the average width of the cracks induced was 1% to 2 times that of naturally occurring cracks. Controlled soil cracking to increase crack size is suggested as an economically feasible method for increasing the depth and rate of penetration of rains on dry‐farmed wheatland.