Improvements in the visual evaluation of soil structure
Abstract
Abstract Spade methods to visually evaluate soil structural quality (Sq) are simple, quick, cheap and can be used by farmers, gardeners, consultants and the scientific community. However, European and Brazilian users of one such method, viz. visual evaluation of soil structure (VESS) which is a development of the Peerlkamp test, have been concerned about its subjectivity. The method of soil slice break‐up and operator influence on scores have been questioned. Thus, our aim was to make soil scoring by the VESS technique more objective and thus to revise the scoring guide. We compared scoring with normal breaking up of the soil slice by hand with scoring after breaking up the slice by dropping (drop shatter) to make the soil break‐up more operator independent. After slice break‐up, aggregates were split by hand and their internal porosity was evaluated to develop the use of visible porosity as an aid to scoring. This proved inconclusive on its own, so a method of reducing larger aggregates to 1.5–2.0 cm core fragments and describing their shape and porosity was developed to score soil Sq. Breaking up a spadeful of soil by hand or by dropping resulted in the same Sq score. The method of reducing aggregates and evaluation of their shape improved VESS, particularly in the middle range of soil quality and the revised chart is shown. VESS was sensitive to changes in Sq in layers within the profile and its use for diagnosing Sq in different layers allows targeted soil improvement by tillage.
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The Peerlkamp method has recently been improved by simplification of the scoring scheme and inclusion of a visual key to further support its use by non-experts of soil science.
“has recently been improved by simpli fi cation of the scoring scheme and inclusion of a visual key (Ball et al., 2007; Guimaraes et al., 2011) to further support the use of the method by non-experts of soil science.”
From Soil quality – A critical review (2018) · cites this paper as Guimaraes et al., 2011
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- Authors
- Guimarães, R. M. L., Ball, B. C., & Tormena, C. A.
- Affiliations
- Universidade Estadual de Maringá (BR)
- Scottish Agricultural Science Agency (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Guimarães, R. M. L.
- Venue
- Soil Use and Management
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2011-06-20
- Volume
- 27
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 395-403
- ISSN
- 0266-0032 (ISSN-L)
- 1475-2743
- OpenAlex
- W1485621920
- Cited by
- 225
- References
- 19
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 36 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 19 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 17 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 7
- FWCI
- 15.44
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Soil Use and Management (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil Management and Crop Yield
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil Science and Environmental Management
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Civil and Structural Engineering › Soil and Unsaturated Flow
- Keywords
- soil structure, soil structural quality, scoring guide, aggregate shape, internal porosity, soil quality assessment, tillage
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