HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Mukhtar, S. Articles by Kanwar, R. S. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Mukhtar, S. Articles by Kanwar, R. S. Agricola Articles by Mukhtar, S. Articles by Kanwar, R. S.

Soil-Atmosphere Access Chamber and Analytical Assembly to Monitor Soil Aeration

Agricultural Engineering Department, Iowa State University, Ames. 50011

* Corresponding author.

ABSTRACT

A reliable method for soil-aeration monitoring is needed. This study was conducted to develop and test a sampling and analysis technique to be used in rapid and nondisruptive monitoring of soil atmospheres. A specially constructed soil-atmosphere access chamber and a dual-action syringe sampling assembly were used to obtain atmosphere samples at various depths within the soil profile in laboratory columns and field plots. The O₂ contents of these samples were measured by using a portable O₂ meter, a probe, and a custom-made sample analysis reservoir. For comparison, an existing method was used to obtain simultaneous O₂-concentration measurements. Laboratory testing proved the new sampling technique to be fast and free of outside contamination. Use of the dual-action syringe sampling assembly helped obtain representative samples at a given depth both in the field and in the laboratory. Identical O₂ concentrations measured using the new technique and the previously available method suggested that this new soil-atmosphere sampling and analysis technique is reliable. Very small standard deviations among repeated measurements of O₂ concentrations at various sampling depths in both laboratory columns and field plots suggest small variations in the soil atmosphere samples obtained by using this access chamber and the analytical assembly.

Journal Paper no. J-13218 of the Iowa Agric. and Home Economics Exp. Stn., Ames. Project no. 2668.

Received for publication September 7, 1988.