A stable soil structure is important to maintain agricultural productivity and reduce environmental pollution. This study was conducted to identify mechanisms by which structure is rendered more stable after short‐term changes in cropping history. Changes in cropping systems were found to increase the response of soil structural stability on drying of a Brookston clay loam (mesic Typic Haplaquoll). Three years of bromegrass ( Bromus inermis Leyss.) production following 20 y of continuous corn ( Zea mays L.) improved the stability of aggregates >0.25 mm as water content decreased. This increased response on drying was a primary factor in the short‐term beneficial effect of bromegrass on stability and was attributed to organic material dispiaced using a tetraborate buffer at pH 9.4. The decrease in the dispersible‐clay fraction with decreasing water content was unaffected by changes in cropping history, but the response of the dispersible‐clay fraction to a change in water content also involved tetraborate‐sensitive material.
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Caron et al. (1992) studied this question.