| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
|
|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||||
a Institute of Soil, Water and Environmental Sciences, the Volcani Center, Agricultural Research Organization, P.O. Box 6, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel
b Faculty of Sciences, Univ. of A Coruna, A Zapateira s/n, 15071 A Coruna, Spain
* Corresponding author (meni{at}volcani.agri.gov.il).
The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of the interaction between organic matter (OM) content and aggregate size on the mechanisms that degrade the soil structure and on the saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks). Two samples of sandy loam (Humic Dystrudept) containing 2.5 and 3.5% OM, referred to as low-OM soil and high-OM soil, respectively, were collected from adjacent fields. Dry samples were sieved to obtain aggregate sizes of <2, 2 to 4, and 4 to 6 mm. Slaking, swelling, and dispersion values were measured for each soil and aggregate size. The saturated hydraulic conductivity was determined in disturbed soil columns by means of a constant-head device. For the <2- and 2- to 4-mm aggregate sizes, Ks of the high-OM soil was, in general, significantly higher than that of the low-OM soil. The average Ks for the entire leaching run in the <2-mm and 2- to 4-mm aggregate sizes was 7.7 and 183 mm h–1, respectively, for the low-OM soil and 13 and 412 mm h–1, respectively, for the high-OM soil. Moreover, there was a significant interaction between aggregate size and OM content in their effects on Ks. For the low- and high-OM soils, the slaking values were >93 and <6.7% respectively, and the clay dispersion values in deionized water were >2.9% and <2%, respectively. This suggests that the larger decrease in Ks of the low-OM soil than in the high-OM soil during wetting and leaching was mainly a result of more intense aggregate slaking and dispersion in the former soil.
Abbreviations: CEC, cation-exchange capacity • EC, electrical conductivity • ESP, exchangeable sodium percentage • OM, organic matter • SAR, sodium adsorption ratio
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  J. G. Benjamin, M. M. Mikha, and M. F. Vigil Organic Carbon Effects on Soil Physical and Hydraulic Properties in a Semiarid Climate Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., September 1, 2008; 72(5): 1357 - 1362. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 T. A. McClellan, R. C. Shearman, R. E. Gaussoin, M. Mamo, C. S. Wortmann, G. L. Horst, and D. B. Marx Nutrient and Chemical Characterization of Aging Golf Course Putting Greens: Establishment and Rootzone Mixture Treatment Effects Crop Sci., January 22, 2007; 47(1): 193 - 199. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
A. Nemes, W. J. Rawls, and Y. A. Pachepsky Influence of Organic Matter on the Estimation of Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., June 28, 2005; 69(4): 1330 - 1337. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. Lado, M. Ben-Hur, and I. Shainberg Soil Wetting and Texture Effects on Aggregate Stability, Seal Formation, and Erosion Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., November 1, 2004; 68(6): 1992 - 1999. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. Lado, A. Paz, and M. Ben-Hur Organic Matter and Aggregate Size Interactions in Infiltration, Seal Formation, and Soil Loss Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., May 1, 2004; 68(3): 935 - 942. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
| The SCI Journals | Agronomy Journal | Crop Science | |||
| Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education |
Vadose Zone Journal | ||||
| Journal of Plant Registrations | Journal of Environmental Quality |
The Plant Genome | |||
