Soil conditioner effects on soil structure and erosion

Investigations into the soil stabilizing properties of four recently market ed soil conditioners have been carried out on a loamy sand soil (Psammept) of the Bridgnorth series of England In an experiment assessing "Agri-SC" tr eatment effects on splash erosion, mean splash amounts decreased for all ap plication rates and by up to 14.3% after 3 repeat applications over a total period of 20 mo. Other commercially-available synthetic soil conditioners, including "Soil-Tex," "Humus," and "Kiwi Green, " were incorporated in com parative studies of effects on soil structure. Soil bulk density decreased and total porosity increased for all conditioners. However, crust strength only increased after applications of SoilTex and Kiwi Green and aggregate s tability after Agri-SC treatment in a second set of samples. Applications o f chemical soil conditioners usually established soil structural changes be neficial for soil conservation, by maintaining an improved soil structure a nd decreasing sail erodibility. However, results ran be complex to achieve and further investigations are required to understand the mechanisms of con ditioner and soil interactions.