Effects of time under rain, sampling technique and transport of samples on size distributions of water‐stable aggregates

Abstract

Abstract Two methods for sampling aggregates in the soil surface under simulated rain were compared using two soil types. Results showed that aggregate size distributions obtained by spatula sampling were not significantly different from those obtained using rings buried in the soil surface, provided both were sampled to the same depth. The effect of transporting samples over a distance of 60 km was non‐significant when samples were placed in bottles half‐filled with rainwater and transported in an upright position. The per cent aggregates > 0.125 mm was found to be the most suitable index of aggregate stability for both soils.