Effects of cattle slurry and cultivation on air exchange in sandy and silty soils from northern Norway

Gas diffusivity and permeability, and air-filled porosity, were measured in undisturbed soil cores at four water potentials between -1.5 kPa and -60 kPa. Virgin (never ploughed) and cultivated sandy and silty soils from two sites in northern Norway were used in the investigation. The cultivated soil...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: T.K. HARALDSEN
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Scientific Agricultural Society of Finland 2008
Subjects:
S
Online Access:https://doaj.org/article/7ca04a718a1f4117b46d5beadb425554
Description
Summary:Gas diffusivity and permeability, and air-filled porosity, were measured in undisturbed soil cores at four water potentials between -1.5 kPa and -60 kPa. Virgin (never ploughed) and cultivated sandy and silty soils from two sites in northern Norway were used in the investigation. The cultivated soils had lower air-filled porosity and gas diffusivity than the virgin ones. Application of slurry (50 Mg ha-1) decreased gas diffusivity and changed the relationship between relative diffusivity and air-filled porosity for both the virgin and cultivated sandy soils and the virgin silty soil. The gas permeability of both the virgin and cultivated silty soil was low, and the relative diffusivity at field capacity less than the limit below which plant growth is affected.