The Effect of Tillage and Inherent Soil Properties On the Least Limiting Water Range for Two Piedmont Soils.

Characterization of soil-water-plant relationships among different tillage systems has typically been focused on surface residue and physical properties of the Ap horizon. There is relatively little information about soil profile moisture dynamics in different tillage systems and their relationship to short- and long-term productivity.Various physical properties of the soil determine plant-available water. Typically, we think of this as available water holding capacity (AWHC). Field capacity and permanent wilting point are the two constraining factors of this property. The Least Limiting Water Range (LLWR) integrates a number of soil physical properties to create an estimate of available water across a range of bulk densities for a given soil. Soil physical properties such as soil (penetration) resistance, ten-percent air-filled porosity, as well as field capacity and wilting point. This poster will summarize the first year of a study undertaken to examine the amount of water available to crop by determining the Least Limiting Water Range for two soils in the Piedmont Region of North Carolina.