Effects of Long‐Time Soil Treatments on Some Physical Properties of Several Illinois Soils

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Abstract
Soil cores, 2 inches in diameter and either 1⅜ or 1½ inches in length, were taken from 6 Illinois soil experiment fields in the late summer and fall of 1952 and from 1 field in the early spring of 1953 to study long‐time effects of 3 different soil treatments on permeability to water, moisture percentages at one‐third and at 15 atm. pressures, bulk density, non‐capillary pore space, and the maximum water available for plant growth. All laboratory determinations were made on the undisturbed soil core except the 15 atm. moisture percentages which were made after drying and breaking up the soil core. The treatments studied were manure, limestone, and rock phosphate; no treatment; and crop residues, limestone, rock phosphate, and potash. These systems of management have been followed for approximately 40 years at all locations.The mean values for several determinations differ greatly for the three treatments but in only a few cases are the differences statistically significant. The manure, limestone, and rock phosphate treatment was usually the most favorable treatment when significant differences were found.In the design of the experiment fields, replication and crop are confounded. The only mean square for testing treatments was the crop x treatment interaction which was usually large and had only 4 degrees of freedom. This may be the reason why more differences due to treatment were not shown to be significant.

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