Least Limiting Water Range of Soils

DA SILVA, AP.; KAY, B.; TORMENA, CA.; IMHOFF, S.; KARLEN, D.; BENJAMIN, J.

Encyclopedia of Soil Science, Third Edition: Three Volume Set

CRC Press

Año: 2015; p. 1026 - 1029

The least limiting water range (LLWR) has been developed as an index of the soil structural quality. The LLWR was defined as the region bounded by the upper and lower soil water content over which water, oxygen, and mechanical resistance become major limitations for root growth. Thus, it combines the effects of critical soil physical properties on biological processes into a single variable. Studies showed LLWR was related to shoot and roots growth, and crop production. It also was effective to identify loss of soil quality caused by compaction due to animal trampling, tillage practices and wheel-traffic. The LLWR associated with measurements of microbiological processes rates may help predict the efficiency of different management systems to recover the quality of degraded soils.