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In geotechnical engineering, soil compaction is the process in which stress applied to a soil causes densification as air is displaced from the pores between the soil grains. When stress is applied that causes densification due to water (or other liquid) being displaced from between the soil grains, then consolidation , not compaction, has ...
A wide variety of materials have been described as soil conditioners due to their ability to improve soil quality. Some examples include biochar, [3] bone meal, blood meal, coffee grounds, compost, compost tea, coir, manure, [4] straw, peat, sphagnum moss, vermiculite, sulfur, lime, hydroabsorbant polymers, [5] biosolids, [6] and rock flour.
Soil compaction, also known as soil structure degradation, is the increase of bulk density or decrease in porosity of soil due to externally or internally applied loads. [1] Compaction can adversely affect nearly all physical, chemical and biological properties and functions of soil . [ 2 ]
Soil conservation is the prevention of loss of the topmost layer of the soil from erosion or prevention of reduced fertility caused by over usage, acidification, salinization or other chemical soil contamination. Slash-and-burn and other unsustainable methods of subsistence farming are practiced in some lesser
Soil aeration is the mechanism of improving the exchange of gases between the atmosphere and soil. Through soil microbial activity and plant root respiration, certain gases such as oxygen will be depleted in the soil, while others, such as carbon dioxide, will build up in the soil. [1] Lack of oxygen in the soil can impact plant growth.
Tilling the soil, or tillage, is the breaking of soil, such as with a plough or harrow, to prepare the soil for new seeds. Tillage systems vary in intensity and disturbance. Conventional tillage is the most intense tillage system and disturbs the deepest level of soils. At least 30% of plant residue remains on the soil surface in conservation ...
As far as plants and vegetation are concerned, the accumulation of salts in the soil adversely affects their physiology and morphology by increasing the osmotic pressure of the soil solution, altering the plant’s mineral nutrition, and accumulating specific ions to toxic concentrations in the plants.
Soil conservation techniques which are employed include changes of land use (such as replacing erosion-prone crops with grass or other soil-binding plants), changes to the timing or type of agricultural operations, terrace building, use of erosion-suppressing cover materials (including cover crops and other plants), limiting disturbance during ...