TY - JOUR
T1 - The effect of mechanical compaction on the soil water retention curve
T2 - Insights from a rapid image analysis of micro-CT scanning
AU - Goldberg-Yehuda, Nurit
AU - Nachshon, Uri
AU - Assouline, Shmuel
AU - Mau, Yair
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024
PY - 2024/7
Y1 - 2024/7
N2 - Soil hydrological and agricultural properties are highly affected by the soil water retention characteristics, which are closely related to the void size distribution and structure of the soil. Agricultural lands are often faced with the challenge of soil compaction, which alters the size, shape, connectivity, and morphology of soil voids. To determine the water retention curve and other hydrological and agricultural functions of un-compacted and compacted sandy soils, we used micro-CT techniques and image analysis procedures in both two and three dimensions. We found that these techniques were reliable, as they were validated against physical measurements and empirical physically-based models, and provided a relatively simple and fast way to characterize the key features of soil hydrological and agricultural properties. The findings highlight the impact of compaction on the soil void size distribution, resulting in increased water holding capacity, greater water availability for root uptake, and reduced hydraulic conductivity. We also discussed the differences between the two and three-dimensional analyses, highlighting the better ability to characterize soil hydrological and agricultural functions and soil water retention curve using the three-dimensional image analysis approach.
AB - Soil hydrological and agricultural properties are highly affected by the soil water retention characteristics, which are closely related to the void size distribution and structure of the soil. Agricultural lands are often faced with the challenge of soil compaction, which alters the size, shape, connectivity, and morphology of soil voids. To determine the water retention curve and other hydrological and agricultural functions of un-compacted and compacted sandy soils, we used micro-CT techniques and image analysis procedures in both two and three dimensions. We found that these techniques were reliable, as they were validated against physical measurements and empirical physically-based models, and provided a relatively simple and fast way to characterize the key features of soil hydrological and agricultural properties. The findings highlight the impact of compaction on the soil void size distribution, resulting in increased water holding capacity, greater water availability for root uptake, and reduced hydraulic conductivity. We also discussed the differences between the two and three-dimensional analyses, highlighting the better ability to characterize soil hydrological and agricultural functions and soil water retention curve using the three-dimensional image analysis approach.
KW - Image analysis
KW - Micro-CT
KW - Soil compaction
KW - Void-size distribution
KW - Water retention
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85192209922&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2024.108068
DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2024.108068
M3 - مقالة
SN - 0341-8162
VL - 242
JO - Catena
JF - Catena
M1 - 108068
ER -