Tensile strength (TS) of soil aggregates is an important indicator of soil quality. However, TS
varies with aggregate shape. Thus, the objective of this study was to quantify the influence of
aggregate shape on TS and propose a shape standardization protocol to increase accuracy
in the measurement of TS. The latter was determined on 7,560 aggregates divided into three
shapes,(i) irregular shape (IS),(ii) spherical shape (SS), and (iii) flat surface (FS), while
preserving the inherent structure of the aggregate. The aggregates with IS had a larger …

Tensile strength (TS) of soil aggregates is an important indicator of soil quality. However, TS
varies with aggregate shape. Thus, the objective of this study was to quantify the influence of
aggregate shape on TS and propose a shape standardization protocol to increase accuracy
in the measurement of TS. The latter was determined on 7,560 aggregates divided into three
shapes,(i) irregular shape (IS),(ii) spherical shape (SS), and (iii) flat surface (FS), while
preserving the inherent structure of the aggregate. The aggregates with IS had a larger …