hardpan

(redirected from Plowpan)
Also found in: Thesaurus, Encyclopedia.

hard·pan

(härd′păn′)

1. A layer of hard subsoil or clay. Also called caliche.

2. Hard, unbroken ground.

3. A foundation; bedrock.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

hardpan

(ˈhɑːdˌpæn)

(Physical Geography) a hard impervious layer of clay below the soil, resistant to drainage and root growth

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

hard•pan

(ˈhɑrdˌpæn)

n.

1. any layer of firm detrital matter, as of clay, underlying soft soil.

2. hard, unbroken ground.

[1810–20]

Hardpan

A compacted layer of soil that is difficult for roots or water to penetrate. It often forms just below the depth of plowing, when plowing, year after year, is always to the same depth.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun

hardpan - crust or layer of hard subsoil encrusted with calcium-carbonate occurring in arid or semiarid regions

caliche

dirt, soil - the part of the earth's surface consisting of humus and disintegrated rock

Mentioned in ?

References in periodicals archive ?

Physical condition Soil depth and Medium depth Shallow soil presence of (2-4 ft), or a ([less than]2 ft), or a artificial or soil with a soil with an inherent pan plowpan inherent pan (11) (-11) Texture Coarse-textured; Fine-textured; (in rooting zone) sandy clayey (8) (-4) Compaction Moderately Strongly (in surface foot) compacted; compacted; firm moderately tight, bulk tight, bulk density [greater density than]1.7 g/cc 1.4-1.7 g/cc (6) (-3) Structure Prismatic Massive (if clayey); (in rooting zone) blocky platy (-3) (3) Past use and Moderate culti- Intensive culti- present cover vation; cultivated vation; cultivated [less than]20 yr, or [grater than]20 yr, open with grass or open and bare cover (2) (-2) Factor 2.

Growth predictions for tree species planted on marginal soybean lands in the Lower Mississippi Valley

Excessive rototilling destroys soil structure and creates a "plowpan", or compacted layer, just below the tilling depth.

Yes, you can grow rice in zone 6

These soils were further described as having a sour or chemical smell, a surface crust, and a hard plowpan. Plants grown in a healthy soil were expected to have a large spreading root system with numerous feeder roots; thick, tall stems; and large, dark green leaves.

How farmers assess soil health and quality

If present, breaking up a plowpan will allow deep rooted grasses, legumes and pasture herbs access to the store of elements in the subsoil.