Structural stability of two Romanian soils as influenced by management practices

The effects of non-arable vs. arable land use as well as of wheeled traffic, crop rotation, manure applications and inorganic fertiliser application on soil stability parameters were investigated. The stability of a soil's structure was assessed by the dispersibility of clay in water, by measurement of the proportions of water-stable aggregates, and by the tensile strength of dry soil aggregates. An index of soil structural stability is defined and used. In general, there were trends towards increasing soil structural stability with non-arable agriculture, less wheeled traffic, crop rotations rather than monoculture, and fertiliser application.