Science Letters

Transitions of soil failure patterns as affected by various moisture contents

Ahmed Ali Tagar a, b, Ji Changying a , Ding Qishuo a, Fiaz Ahmad a,d, Abdul Khaliq c, Muhammad Hassan a, Bai JianCai a

a College of Engineering, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210031, China

b Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, 70060-Pakistan

c Department of Irrigation and Drainage, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan

d Department of Agricultural Engineering, Bahauddin Zakeriya University, Multan, Pakistan

Abstract

To better understand the soil tilth modified by tillage, it is important to study the soil failure patterns and the conditions at which the transition of soil failure pattern takes place. This study has investigated the transitions of soil failure patterns as affected by various moisture contents in dry land and paddy soils. The soil failure patterns were observed and recorded using a digital camera, the recorded failure patterns were then converted into snapshots. The results revealed that two soils have same textural class as well as soil genesis, but the transitions of failure patterns corresponding to moisture contents were not the same.

Keywords: Soil failure patterns, moisture content, genesis, texture.

Received May 02, 2014; Revised June 02, 2014; Accepted June 05, 2014

Corresponding author: Ji Changying; Email: chyji@njau.edu.cn