Some New Zealand soils withstand intensive cultivation and support continuing
high production and yet maintain essential soil physical qualities of
infiltration, aggregation, and aeration. In other soils, essential soil
qualities deteriorate rapidly under the impact of even moderately intensive
management practices. Our objective was to estimate the inherent
susceptibility of New Zealand soils to physical degradation by focusing on
structural vulnerability. We took a deductive approach by reviewing the
available information on the structural stability and physical degradation of
New Zealand soils. We identified 4 soil attributes that are well represented
in the national soils database and are most likely to control structural
vulnerability: (i) stabilising short-range-order
oxy-hydroxides of aluminium and iron as estimated by phosphate retention,
(ii) total organic carbon content,
(iii) clay content, and (iv)
wetness. The 4 attributes were standardised and transformed and a simple
structural vulnerability index (SV) was devised. We determined SV for all
mineral soils in the national soils database. The results provide a ranking of
soil groups according to their structural vulnerability. We concluded that the
index may be used as a first approximation rating of the structural
vulnerability of New Zealand soils to aid resource management.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.