Soil Quality
Fact Sheets - Subsurface Compaction
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- Subsurface Compaction 732 Kb PDF
Summary
It is estimated that up to 13M ha (70%) of Western Australia’s agricultural soils have moderate to high susceptibility to subsurface compaction (DAFWA 2006). Subsurface compaction is caused by compression from agricultural machinery traffic with the compacted layer forming between 10 and 40 cm.
In contrast, compaction from stock trampling is confined to the surface 15 cm of soil. In addition to compaction, hard layers can also form as a result of natural soil packing and chemical cementation processes and these may occur throughout the soil profile.
These hard layers slow or in extreme cases prevent root growth and restrict root access to water and nutrients.
Related Soil Tests
- Bulk Density
