Soil Moisture
Benchmark Value
Scoring Curve
The scoring engine could not generate a curve for this benchmark context. The primary form is OptimalRange, but the benchmark data may be missing required fields (e.g., optimal range bounds for an OptimalRange benchmark). This is typically a data quality issue in the benchmark pipeline.
Contributing Benchmarks
Evidence & Context
Numerically, the VWC corresponding to the PL varies greatly by soil texture. For a clay loam, the PL might be in the range of 25-30% VWC. If FC for that soil is, for example, 35% VWC, then grazing when topsoil VWC is above 27-30% presents a high risk of structural damage.
Upper detrimental threshold for soil moisture where risk of soil pugging and compaction under grazing increases.
The upper detrimental threshold is the soil moisture content above which pugging and compaction risks increase significantly under grazing in temperate dry woodlands and native grasslands on clay loam soils.
This threshold is based on the Plastic Limit (PL) for clay loam soils and observed pugging damage at these moisture levels.
Sources (1)
Pasture yield and soil physical property responses to soil compaction from treading and grazing — a review - ANU Open Research
View SourceSupporting Sources (2)
Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.
Global critical soil moisture thresholds of plant water stress - ResearchGate
View SourceSoil | Australia state of the environment 2021
View Source