About 500 g
composite soil sample was obtained after combining three cores at each
point. A total of 60 composite soil samples were air dried and passed through 2 mm sieve, and selected soil attributes were determined. The
bulk density (ρb) was measured by the core method
. The infiltration rate was measured by double ring infiltrometer
using the water ponding method. Large clods of bulk samples were
broken by hand into smaller segments along natural cleavages prior to
air drying. The aggregates were sieved using the wet sieving technique
. Soil water stable aggregates
were assessed according to methods described by Cambardella and
Elliott (1993) and expressed as aggregates N1.0 mm. The remaining soil
was ground and sieved through a 2-mmsieve, and 50 g of the sieved soil
was used for particle size analysis by the hydrometermethod
. Organic carbon contentwas determined byWalkley and
Black method. Total N was measured with the Kjeldhal method and
available P by ammonium acetate extraction, colorimetrically. Surface
stoniness, vegetative cover and soil macro fauna were measured using
1m2 quadrate at each sampling site.