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Effects of some soil conditions on sugar-beet seedling emergence

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

P. C. Longden
Affiliation:
Broom's Barn Experimental Station, Higham, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

Summary

Seven soil conditioners added to a sandy clay soil at Saxmundham did not benefit sugar-beet seedling emergence in four experiments in 3 years. In microplots at Broom's Barn free draining peat and sandy loam gave consistently more seedlings than limestone loam or flinty loam. In the laboratory, for each of three soil types, emergence was maximal only for a small soil moisture range and decreased rapidly when soils became drier or wetter. This suggests that conditioners which increase water-holding capacity should be tested on sandy loams rather than clay soils and that seed-bed preparation on heavier soils should seek to aerate the soil.

Type
Short Note
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1972

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References

REFERENCES

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