The use of the 'wet workability limit' to predict the land quality 'workability' for some Uruguayan soils.

Abstract

In an attempt to predict soil workability, the upper critical moisture content for tillage was determined for some Uruguayan soils, using two laboratory methods developed for Dutch conditions ('upper tillage limit' or UTL, and 'wet workability limit' or WWL). The results obtained showed that the critical point is mainly influenced by the percentage clay and organic matter (OM) in the soil, yielding the linear relationship: UTL = 7.5 + 1.91 x OM (%) + 0.34 x clay (%). The UTL is highly correlated with the moisture content at a range of pF values between 2.0 and 2.7, this being a consequence of the influence of clay and organic matter on the shape of the pF curve. The results obtained by both methods (UTL and WWL) are highly correlated (r = 0.88). Within a certain range of texture, both methods give statistically the same result. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission)