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Soil Structure, Bulk Density, Particle Density, and Porosity
Soil Structure, Bulk Density, Particle Density, and Porosity
Laboratory Exercise # 4
Objectives:
Understand the concept of soil structure, how it differs from soil texture.
Learn how to determine and calculate bulk density
Determine particle density and understand the difference in particle density
and bulk density
Know how soil strength is affected by water content, texture, and bulk density.
The previous lab was about soil texture, which describes the relative proportion of the
different sizes of individual mineral particles, sand, silt, and clay (remember that organic
matter is not a part of soil texture). Soil structure is the arrangement of the primary soil
particles (sand, silt, and clay) and other soil materials into discrete aggregates. Structural
units are called peds, and have distinct boundaries and well-defined planes of weakness
between the aggregates. Peds consist of primary particles bound together by cementing
agents like organic matter, clay, and hydrous oxides of iron and aluminum. Peds can take
several shapes as illustrated in figure 4.1. The terms weak, moderate, or strong are used to
describe the grade or how stable the peds are and how hard they are to break apart. The
size or class of the peds is described as fine, medium, or coarse. The shapes of peds are
platy, granular, blocky, columnar, or prismatic. If the soil has no structure it is either
massive or single grain.
Like soil texture, structure influences movement of water and air through the soil. In soils
with good structure, the pore space that occurs between peds is relatively large and
facilitates water and air movement. . Well-developed structure is very important in
clayey soils. Clayey soils with poor structure restrict water and air movement. Unlike
texture, structure can be altered by tillage or traffic. Tilling soils that are too wet, or
compacting soils with heavy equipment can break down the natural structural units.
Granular: Resembles
cookie crumbs and is
usually less than 0.5 cm
in diameter. Commonly
found in surface horizons
where roots have been
growing.
Columnar: Vertical
columns of soil that have
a salt "cap" at the top.
Found in soils of arid
climates.
Prismatic: Vertical
columns of soil that
might be a number of cm
long. Usually found in
lower horizons.
Using three soils in the lab, we determined the following information. You now need
to fill in the empty blanks to determine bulk density and porosity, as well as guessing
what soil type we used.
Soil #1
Soil #2
Soil #3
128.1
128.4
128.2
242.5
275.6
265.3
99.5
99.7
99.1
Using the same soils as above, we determined the following information in the lab.
Please use the given information to fill in the blanks to determine particle density.
Soil #1
Soil #2
Soil #3
30.1
30.2
30.9
71.2
70.6
71
82.8
82
82.6
SOIL STRENGTH
Soil strength is an important physical property affecting plant growth and seedling
emergence. Soil strength is defined as the amount of force required to move or rearrange
soil particles. It is affected by three main factors; moisture content, soil texture, and bulk
density.
Water content is the most important factor determining soil strength. The lower the soil
water content, or the drier the soil, the greater the soil strength. Soils that are saturated, or
waterlogged have weak soil strengths.
Soil texture also affects soil strength. Soil strength of aggregated soils increases as clay
content increases. Poorly aggregated or single grain soils (sands, loamy sands, sandy
loams) usually have the weakest soil strengths unless they are cemented or compacted.
Individual particles of single grain (sandy) soils are easy to rearrange, but these soils are
susceptible to compaction, sometimes resulting in the formation of hard pans. This often
occurs in the Coastal Plain region, where tillage pans form in sandy soils.
Bulk density is the third factor affecting soil strength. As bulk density of a given soil
increases soil strength also increases. Bulk density is the oven dry weight of soil divided
by the volume or space occupied by the soil. Remember that soil is composed of solids
and pores, and the greater the bulk density the greater the amount of solids, and the
smaller the amount of pore space. For a particular soil type, as bulk density increases, soil
strength increases.
Two examples of management problems caused by increasing soil strength are soil crusts
and tillage pans. A soil crust is a thin soil layer that forms at the soil surface following
heavy rains. The raindrops compact the soil surface and develop a layer having a high
bulk density that hardens upon drying. Soil crusts may prevent seedlings from emerging.
Tillage or hard pans are high bulk density (>1.7 g/cm 3) layers that occur within the Ap
and E horizons. Tillage pans are formed by compaction produced by tractor wheels and
tillage equipment. When dry, tillage pans have high soil strengths and may prevent roots
from growing into lower soil horizons.
Compaction caused by traffic of equipment, vehicles, or even foot traffic often increases
soil strength to levels that restrict root penetration and plant growth.
MEASURING SOIL STRENGTH
The force required to push a rod into the soil is a measure of soil strength. Penetrometers
are devices used to measure the resistance of a soil to penetration to estimate the effect of
compaction on growth, and to detect layers of different soil strength.
PREPARATION FOR NEXT WEEKS LAB
Place soil used in next weeks lab in the oven.
Study Questions
1. What is soil structure? How is it different from soil texture?
2. What are the 5 basic types of soil structure?
3. Soil without structure may be single grain or massive. Which soil separate would
most likely be dominant if the soil were single grain?
4. What does class and grade of structure refer to?
5. How does good soil structure improve infiltration of water into the soil and down
through the soil profile?
6. Is the oxygen content likely to be higher in pores within peds or pores between
peds? Why?