One of the major impediments to an intensive landuse system on upland
soils in harsh tropical environments is the rapid deterioration of soil physical
properties. Soil physical constraints can severely limit crop production even
if nutritional constraints are alleviated by additions of chemical amend ments. Major soil physical constraints are compaction, erosion, high soil
temperatures and frequent drought. Soil physical properties indicative of
these constraints are bulk density and penetration resistence, infiltration and
water transmission properties, and soil moisture retention characteristics
and depth of root penetration. Appropriate soil surface management systems
are those that maintain these index properties at a level optimum for
crop production.