Multiple disturbed and undisturbed soil samples were collected to assess the soil structure health in support of water use and management in a subtropical watershed, which is composed of shallow Entisols, near to Canguçu, RS state—Brazil. Various physico‐hydraulic properties related to soil structure, such as bulk density, total, micro and macroporosity, saturated hydraulic conductivity, organic carbon, soil water retention curve (SWRC), and the ranges of plant available water (PAWC) and drainable porosity (DP) were measured to be analyzed. The hydraulic‐energy indices of soil aeration and water retention were determined by integrating the areas under SWRC. Combining these properties with the contents of sand and clay, a unique blanket soil physico‐hydraulic health index (BSPHI) was formulated and applied to investigate the impact of land use and management on the soils of the Ellert Creek Watershed (ECW), thereby supporting soil physical health analysis and, consequently, the analysis of water and human health. The favorable outcomes found in the ECW soils under annual crops indicated good root aeration in the surface layer due to the balance between DP and PAWC. The BSPHI results showed that only about 19% of the areas exhibited unhealthy physical health. The soil structure in pasture areas of ECW was not significantly impacted by the extensive cattle grazing, whereas lands under native forest served as a control for the natural soil quality status. The BSPHI successfully captured small changes in soil structure, regardless of land use and management, highlighting its potential as a promising tool for evaluating soil health by assessing the soil physical quality.

中文翻译：

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通过引入一揽子物理-水力健康指数来探索亚热带流域的土壤结构分析


收集了多个受干扰和未受干扰的土壤样本，以评估土壤结构健康状况，以支持亚热带流域的水资源使用和管理，该流域由巴西 RS 州 Canguçu 附近的浅层 Entisols 组成。测量了与土壤结构相关的各种物理水力特性，例如堆积密度、总孔隙度、微观孔隙度和大孔隙度、饱和水力传导率、有机碳、土壤保水曲线 （SWRC） 以及植物有效水的范围 （PAWC） 和可排水孔隙度 （DP）。土壤通气和保水的水力学指标是通过整合 SWRC 下的区域来确定的。将这些特性与沙子和粘土的含量相结合，制定了独特的毯状土壤物理水力健康指数 （BSPHI），并应用于研究土地利用和管理对 Ellert Creek 流域 （ECW） 土壤的影响，从而支持土壤物理健康分析，从而支持水和人类健康的分析。在一年生作物下的 ECW 土壤中发现的有利结果表明，由于 DP 和 PAWC 之间的平衡，表层的根通气良好。BSPHI 结果显示，只有大约 19% 的地区表现出不健康的身体健康状况。ECW 牧场地区的土壤结构不受粗放牛的显著影响，而原生林下的土地是自然土壤质量状况的控制。BSPHI 成功地捕捉到了土壤结构的微小变化，无论土地使用和管理如何，突出了它作为通过评估土壤物理质量来评估土壤健康状况的有前途的工具的潜力。