Soil Tilth and Characteristics of good soil tilth

Soil tilth :-

'It is the physical condition of soil resulting from tillage & said to be good when the soil is soft, friable and properly aerated.'

Characteristics of good soil tilth -

●It should have higher % of larger aggregates (more than 5 mm diameter) for irrigated farming.
●It should have higher % of smaller aggregates (1-2 mm diameter) for dry-land farming.
●Good soil tilth should be porous & has free drainage up to water table.
 ●micro-pores ( capillary) & Macro-pores (non-capillary) should be in equal proportion.
● The soil particles should not be easily eroded by water or wind.
●Soil should not be sticky when moist.
●Soil should permit easy infiltration of water.

 

Measurement of soil tilth -

It can be measured by following methods
1) Feel and appearance method
 2) Pore space content -equally divided in micro & macro pores.
3) Measuring size of soil aggregates -best size of soil aggregates ranges rrom 1 to 6 mm.