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2. Soil Fundamentals
The volume of the cube shown here includes
pore space and solids (mineral and organic
matter components). The mass of the soil
solids and air would be used to calculate the
soil mass.
Bulk density is affected by:
•
Texture (proportions of sand, silt, and clay particles)
•
Structure (aggregation and pore space)
•
Depth in the soil profile
•
Management
Bulk density is an important characteristic to
consider when gauging the ease or difficulty
with which water will flow through the soil or
plant roots will grow into the soil.
Bulk density
Glossary
Bulk Density
describes the dry mass of both solids and
pores (everything but the water) in a given
volume of soil. It is often expressed in
grams per centimeter cubed (g/cm
3
).