Effect of Cultivation on the Distribution of Applied Chloride in Soils

To study the effect of cultivation on the distribution of chloride in soils, a loamy sand and a silty clay loam was packed to a bulk density of 1.5 and 1.4 g cm−3, respectively in PVC columns of 100 cm length and 10.2 cm internal dia. One cm soil cubes of respective bulk densities, formed separately, were filled at the top of the soil columns to simulate cultivated layer. The CaCl2 2H2O applied, either as a slug or mixed with the soil was leached with 15 cm water. Chloride was determined after infiltration and redistribution times. After redistribution in loamy sand the surface 32.5 and 42.5 cm soil was chloride free in cube-topped and uniform column, respectively, when salt was mixed in the soil and 22.5 and 43.5 cm when it was applied as slug. The respective depths for silty clay loam were 13.5 and 28.5 cm when salt was mixed and 10.0 and 34.5 cm when it was applied as slug. Also the chloride was dispersed in much wider zone in cube-topped columns both after infiltration and redistribution.