United Kingdom
25 September, 2025
Beneath our feet lies a hidden architecture of channels and cavities that keeps soils alive. Now researchers at Rothamsted have developed a simple, field-ready test that reveals how these pore networks change under different types of farming, and why they matter.
The focus is on macropores: larger openings formed by roots, worms and natural cracking. These pores don’t just let water drain quickly; they also control how air and nutrients circulate underground, shaping the activity of microbes that drive soil health.
Until now, studying macropores in detail often meant costly laboratory imaging. The Rothamsted team refined an infiltration test so that it detects when the biggest pores begin to empty. By comparing these field results with high-resolution X-ray scans and direct measurements of soil respiration, they showed the new method reliably captures differences in soil structure and function.
For the first time, we have a straightforward field method that links this hidden structure directly to how soils function. That means we can track the fingerprints of land management on soil health directly in the field.
Results from the long-running Highfield experiment revealed clear contrasts. Grassland soils, rich in macropores, supported consistently higher microbial respiration than arable or bare fallow soils — even though all three had similar overall capacity to transmit water.
Lead author Dr William Rickard said, “We often think of soil as solid but in reality, it’s more like a sponge full of passages and chambers. These pores are where roots grow, microbes breathe, and water moves. For the first time, we have a straightforward field method that links this hidden structure directly to how soils function. That means we can track the fingerprints of land management on soil health directly in the field.”
Because the test is simple, and can be applied widely in field conditions, it could complement advanced imaging and support long-term monitoring of how farming practices reshape soil structure. Beyond research, it offers a practical way to see soils not just as dirt beneath our feet, but as living systems whose architecture underpins food production and environmental resilience.
Publication
Change in Soil Macroporosity With Land Use and Its Effect on Soil Respiration
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