Evaluating Aeration Criteria by Simultaneous Measurement of Oxygen Diffusion Rate and Soil-water Regime

SOIL physical properties are important for plant growth, but it is necessary to separate factors that affect plant growth directly from those that affect it indirectly.Water, oxygen, temperature, and mechanical resistance are interrelated factors that affect plant growth directly. An appropriate soil-water-air environment is essential for healthy plant growth. Letey (1985) introduced a nonlimiting water range (NLWR) concept,defined as the range of soil-water content in which water, oxygen, and mechanical resistance do not limit plant growth. Generally, field capacity and wilting point are considered to be the upper and lower limits of available soil-water. The upper and lower limits of NLWR can be reduced by poor aeration at the field capacity or high mechanical resistance at the wilting point in some soils (Letey, 1985). A soil with a high value for TECHNICAL ARTICLES