Soil Movement in Long-term Field Experiments as a Result of Cultivations I. A Model for Approximating Soil Movement in One Horizontal Dimension by Repeated Tillage

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Abstract
SUMMARY: A serious problem in long-term field experiments is that soil is moved from plot to plot as a result of cultivations. The problem is often overlooked and very few attempts have been made to quantify this movement under varying conditions.A simple, mathematical model for approximating the movement of soil in one horizontal dimension by repeated tillage with one or more tillage implements is presented. The model describes the development with time of a concentration gradient of substance, by means of the solution of a diffusion equation. The model is in agreement with ‘the central limit theorem’, when it is used for the situation where the same cultivations are repeated many times in alternating directions.The model fitted well to data taken from the literature.