A reliefmeter for soil cultivation studies.

The apparatus is a board 220 cm x 18 cm on the face of which thin rods 50 cm in length are placed at 10-cm intervals at right angles to the long edge. The board is supported vertically by legs and adjusted until its long edge is parallel to the soil surface. When released the rods slide down to touch the soil and their position is measured on a scale on the board. These data permit the determination of surface roughness of soil. Roughness after plowing generally increased with increasing clay content, and deep plowing increased roughness on a light soil. Roughness in spring depended mainly on roughness after autumn plowing. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission)