Poljoprivreda (Dec 2003)
SOIL BULK DENSITY AS RELATED TO SOIL PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION AND ORGANIC MATTER CONTENT
Abstract
Soil bulk density is a dynamic property that varies with the soil structural conditions. The relationships between some soil physical and chemical properties such as, clay content (C), silt content (Si), sand content (S), very fine sand content (Vfs) and organic matter content (OMC) with soil bulk density (ρb) were studied using path analysis on 77 surface soil samples (0-20 cm). Soil bulk density showed positive relationships with S and Vfs and negative relationships with Si, C and OMC. It was determined that the direct effects of some soil properties on ρb were in the following order; S>C>Si>OMC>Vfs. On the other hand, the indirect effects of soil particle size distribution varied among soil bulk densities. The indirect effects of the soil particle size distribution generally occured through sand content. Sand content was the most effective soil property that affected bulk density in soils.
