Soil Science

Introduction

Soil strength is a measure of the resistance of soil to external forces. This is of importance for its traffickability by animals and vehicles and also for its penetrability by plant roots. Soil as a supporting structure needs to be sufficiently strong to withstand compactive forces but at the same time it should not be too strong, to still allow roots to proliferate normally

The application of a load (e.g. the weight of a vehicle) to a soil matrix tends to decrease the soil volume resulting in a higher bulk density and an increase in soil strength.

The most important parameter affecting soil strength is the soil water content. In general, soil strength decreases with an increase in soil water content. Additionally, macroscopic swelling during water adsorption can cause uneven strains throughout soil aggregates, weakerung their fabric.

To find out more about how soil type, compaction and water content affect soil strength, and how this affects root growth.

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