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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Columbus, Ohio » Soil Drainage Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #97174
Title: PHYSICAL AND HYDROLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF AN AERIC FRAGIQUALF AS AFFECTED BY DISTANCE FROM DRAINLINE

Author
item HEMMINGER, M. - OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
item LAL, R. - OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
item Fausey, Norman
item WARD, A. - OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: International Drainage Symposium
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/8/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Water table management effects on soil physical properties were studied for a Ravenna silt loam at Wooster, Ohio. Effects on soil physical properties were measured at three distances from the drain line (0, 1.5 m, and 3.0 m - the midpoint between the drains) for subsurface drainage with no water table (WT) control and for the WT controlled at 0.25 m, 0.5 m , 0.75 m below the soil surface. Soil organic carbon (SOC), total soil nitrogen (TSN) content, percent water stable aggregates (WSA), mean weight diameter (MWD), vertical saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) and total porosity (f) were measured on samples from 0.1, 0.3, 0.5 and 0.7 m depths. Final infiltration capacity, macropores, and susceptibility to crusting were also measured. The value of SOC decreased significantly with water table depth, and similar trends were found for TSN, WSA, and MWD. There was no consistent relationship between WT and Ks or f. All properties, including Ks and f, decreased with increasing depth from the ground surface. In general there were differences in soil properties in relation to the distance from the drain line. The biggest difference was usually at a distance of 1.5 m from the drain line. The WT treatments had no effect on final infiltration capacity. The infiltration capacity was strongly correlated with the number of macropores and the susceptibility to crusting. Soil above the drain line was more prone to crusting than at 1.5 or 3.0 m away. The least crust was observed at 1.5 m distance from the drain.