Changes in soil physical and mechanical properties due to transformation from dry farming (olives) to irrigation (annual crops)

Results shown in this paper refer to changes observed in physical and mechanical properties of a soil of a more than 100-year-old traditional dry farming olive field, situated in the region of Aljarafe (West of Seville province, Spain) as a consequence of its transformation into land for irrigated annual cropping. The soil was sampled before and after the transformation in three separated plots, corresponding to the soil sequence present: Calcic Rhodoxeralf, Aquic Haploxeralf and Mollic Haploxeralf. Before the transformation, clear differences were found in the texture and structural characteristics of these plots. Physical parameters of the three soils, measured after removing the olive trees and subsoiling, and through the crop rotation periods under irrigation, reflect their different behaviour. The most important variation in total porosity found ranged between 5% (v/v) in the Aquic Haploxeralf and 12% (v/v) in the Calcic Rhodoxeralf, according to the practices applied. The Calcic Rhodoxeralf also showed the largest variation in pores, > 90 μm.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Moreno Lucas, Félix, Martín Aranda, José, Konstankiewicz, K., Gómez Rojas, F.
Format:	artículo biblioteca
Language:	English
Published:	Elsevier 1986
Online Access:	http://hdl.handle.net/10261/63988
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!