Estimating soil water content from soil strength

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Abstract

Variable rate application technology requires real time estimates of field water contents. This study was conducted to evaluate soil strength as a possible indicator of soil water content. The study involved measurement of soil strength with flat tip and cone penetrometers on laboratory packed soil cores. Packing treatment varied from Proctor Test (PT) bulk densities to densities similar to those of cultivated field soils. Soils used in the study included 18 benchmark soil series representing eight soil orders. Soil samples were from the surface 300 mm depth and from a subsurface layer. Soil strength tests were run at PT densities for all 18 soils and at cultivated field densities for four of the 18 soils. Two equations were fitted to plots of gravimetric water content versus soil strength using least squares nonlinear regression techniques. Predicted and measured water contents were in better agreement at the PT densities than at cultivated field densities. Sand content accounted for 36% of the variation in equation parameters at PT densities.

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Published as Journal Series No. 10130, Agricultural Research Division.

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