Dynamique intra-saisonnière de la stabilité structurale d’un sol limoneux soumis à différentes pratiques culturales
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- Structural stability is a key indicator of soil health, due to its central role in hydrological, biological and agronomic processes. While the influence of farming practices on structural stability has been widely documented, its variability on a daily and monthly basis and the factors that control it on an intra-seasonal scale remain poorly understood, particularly in loamy soils cultivated in temperate climates. This thesis aims to analyse the intra-seasonal dynamics of the structural stability of a loamy soil located in Walloon Brabant, subject to three modes of agricultural management: ploughing, simplified cultivation techniques and organic conservation agriculture. A temporal monitoring programme combining long-term (monthly) and short-term (daily) sampling campaigns was set up between September 2024 and March 2025. Structural stability was assessed using the QuantiSlakeTest and the Slakes application, in parallel with measurements of physical, chemical and biological soil variables, including water content, bulk density and various indicators of soil organic matter, as well as root characteristics. The results highlight significant temporal variability in structural stability, sometimes more pronounced than the differences between management methods, emphasising the dynamic and contextual nature of this indicator. They also show that structural stability indicators should be interpreted with caution and used as relative tools for comparison or temporal monitoring (soil health) rather than as absolute indicators (soil quality). This work thus contributes to a better understanding of the fine dynamics of structural stability and to a more reasoned use of this indicator in the assessment of agricultural soil health.