Key Points
- Soil structure condition can itself have an important influence on crop yields.
- Structural condition can be visually scored using Crop & Food Research's Structural Condition Score Card.
- The previously established optimum range for soil structure condition scores (SCS) is 5-10.
- After 5-7 years of continuous cropping using minimum and no-tillage practices, SCS remained well within the optimum range, whereas SCS under intensive tillage fell below the critical limit of 5.
- Maintaining SCS within the optimum range is important to achieving high crop yields.