Surface seal micromorphology as affected by fluidized bed combustion bottom-ash

Amendments that alter clay dispersion and aggregate disintegration also change soil porosity and sealing. Soils selected for this study had increased (Mollisol, Oxisol, and Vertisol), decreased (Oxisol), or non-affected (Oxisol and Ultisol) water infiltration when fluidized bed combustor bottom-ash (FBCBA) was surface applied to decrease dispersion. Soil was sieved to pass 8-mm, packed into small erosion pans, prewetted by capillarity, and subjected to 110 mm h⁻¹ simulated rain until steady state infiltration. Image analysis was used to quantify crust morphology, porosity and characteristics of the seal and the unsealed soil below it. A conspicuous feature was a structural crust at the surface with a continuous dense layer of lesser porosity and smaller pores than uncrusted soil. The seal showed no evidence of a “washed-in” zone of illuvial clay in the control treatment, although dispersed clay was observed in the percolating water for some soils. Where FBCBA was effective in increasing water infiltration, an increase in total porosity attributed to planar pores was observed. A sandy loam Oxisol was the least prone to sealing. For this soil, a considerable amount of dispersed clay was observed in the control, while FBCBA rapidly flocculated clay and formed an illuvial clay layer, lowering infiltration. A layer of eluvial silt and fine sand was observed at the surface of soils where considerable dispersion occurred on non-treated soils. Differences in steady-state infiltration could not be explained by the variation in total porosity or pore shape. Spatial variability, pore continuity, and expansion/contraction of clays obscure any relationship with an averaged infiltration even on a small plot.     

Effect of water quality and amendments on the hydraulic properties and erosion from several mediterranean soils

The response of six sandy-loam soils from Portugal and Israel to leaching with sodic and saline water and to simulated rain was studied. The dominant clay mineral in the soils from Portugal was kaolinite, whereas smectite predominates in the soils from Israel. The permeability of the soils depended on the soil texture: it decreased with an increase in the silt and clay content. The response of the soils to sodicity depended on the electrolyte concentration; salt concentrations exceeding 10 mmol_c·L⁻¹ was enough to prevent the deleterious effect of exchangeable sodium (≤20%). When leaching with distilled water (stimulating rain water), the presence of primary minerals and lime determine the susceptibility of the soils to sodicity. The calcareous loess from Israel was the least susceptibility to sodicity.The six soils were susceptible to sealing, high runoff and erosion when exposed to rain. The soil surface was particularly vulnerable to sealing due to both the mechanical impact of raindrops and the low concentration of electrolytes in the rainwater. Seal formation was due to two mechanisms:

• 1.(i) physical disruption of aggregates at the soil surface which depended on the impact energy of raindrops and the inherent aggregate stability; and
• 2.(ii) chemical dispersion which depended on the mineralogy of the clay, the ESP, and the electrolyte concentration.

When the impact of the drops was prevented, or when the anionic polymer was sprayed at the soil surface, physical breakdown of the aggregates was reduced and runoff and erosion were slight. When the electrolyte concentration was high, the chemical dispersion was small and runoff and erosion decreased, compard with the control. The smectite soils from Israel were more susceptible to sealing than the kaolinitic soils from Portugal.     

Polysaccharide and salt effects on infiltration and soil erosion. A rainfall simulation study

Seals forming at the soil surface during rainstorms reduce water penetration and increase runoff in many arid and semi-arid regions. The effect of surface application of an anionic polysaccharide (designated F-Ac), synthesized by the filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaenopsis circularis PCC 6720, on infiltration rate (IR), runoff and erosion of three soils during simulated rainstorms, was studied. The interaction between F-Ac and electrolyte concentration at the soil surface was studied by using distilled water (DW) or tap water (TW) or by spreading phosphogypsum (PG) on the soil surface. F-Ac added at the rate of 3.4 kg ha⁻¹ together with PG at the rate of 5 t ha⁻¹ was the most efficient treatment in improving infiltration and reducing runoff and erosion. This treatment reduced runoff, from the three soils studied, from 65–80% in the control to 14–24%. Soil loss was reduced from 3.6–4.5 Mg ha⁻¹ in the control to 0.5–1.3 Mg ha⁻¹ in the treated soils. DW treatment, singly and in combination with F-Ac, was quite inefficient in preventing seal formation and in reducing runoff and soil loss. Adding F-Ac with TW maintained final IR and runoff levels intermediate between those of F-Ac with PG and those of F-Ac with DW. Electrolytes in the soil surface which flocculated soil clay, enhanced the beneficial effect of F-Ac on aggregate stability and thus greatly reduced water and soil losses. The efficacy of F-Ac as a stabilizing agent (i.e., soil conditioner) wore out during three consecutive storms of 60 mm each.     

The effects of soil organic matter content,rainfall duration and aggregate size on soil detachment

Soil detachment was measured using a factorial experiment involving five soils (with organic matter contents ranging from 1.23 to 5.64%), three rainfall durations (4, 12 and 20 mins) and two aggregate sizes (<2 mm and 2–5 mm). Detachment was described in terms of the direct effects and the first and second order interactions of these variables above.There were significant differences (P < 0.01) in the amount of soil detached between the study soils. The mean values of detachment generally declined with increasing soil organic matter content from 1.15 kg m⁻² in the G1 soil to 0.51 kg m⁻² in the G5 soil. For each soil, there were significant increases (P < 0.01) in detachment with increasing rainfall duration. Soil detachment was smaller for the larger aggregate size.The most significant interactions affecting soil detachment were between rainfall duration and aggregate size, organic matter content and aggregate size, and between organic content and rainfall duration in that order. These interactions were used to make inferences on the effect of organic matter on soil detachment.For each soil and aggregate size, power relationships were established to relate detachment to rainfall total kinetic energy and organic matter content.     

Effects of electrical conductivity of water used in wetting and in wet sieving on measured aggregate water stability

We investigated effects of electrical conductivity (EC) of water used on determinations of wet aggregate stability by wet sieving. For a cracking clay and a sendy clay loam, deionised water of low EC and tap water of “high” EC (900 μS cm⁻¹) were used to pre-wet air dry aggregates, either by slow wetting at 5 cm tension or by immersion wetting, and aggregates were then wet sieved, again in water of low and high EC. Aggregate stability to immersion wetting was not affected by the EC of the water used in wetting and/or sieving samples.The EC of water used to tension wet aggregates caused significant differences in wet aggregate stability, with, for example, the percentages of 10-5 mm aggregates being 31.5 and 24.4 for the Wallumbilla soil wet by tap and deionised water respectively. For the Pittsworth soil, the corresponding percentages of 10-5 mm water stable aggregates were 35.4 and 25.0. For tension wet samples, wetting rates were not affected in a consistent way by EC of the water used, and we conclude that the differences in aggregate stability were due to effects of the EC of the water on clay swelling.The EC of water used in wet sieving tension wet aggregates affected aggregate stability of one soil, but only when that soil was wetted with water of high EC.We conclude that, for ECs up to 900 μS cm⁻¹, the EC of the water used for wetting samples will be important only when samples are wet slowly, and that the EC of water used for wet seiving will be important only when samples are wet slowly in water of high EC.     

Comparison of soil and sediment properties of a loamy sand soil

Ten 25 m² runoff plots at the Hilton experimental site, east Shropshire, UK, have been used to compare the physicochemical properties of loamy sand plot soils and sediment eroded from the plots over one year. Sediment contained more sand (2 mm–60 μm) and less clay (< 2 μm), silt (2–60 μm) and coarse fraction (> 2 mm) than soil. Erosion rates increased with slope and proportionally more silt and particularly clay were eroded on steeper slopes. Selective clay depletion has serious implications for soil structure and fertility. Correlations existed between the organic matter contents and particle size distributions of soil and sediment, but the sediment had less organic matter and lower pH values than soil. Sediment also contained lower concentrations of calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, manganese and phosphorus than soil. Relationships between erosion and soil textural change appear to be partly technique-dependent, which suggests more uniformity in approach would be beneficial in studies on the effects of erosion on soil fertility.     

The effect of grass roots on shear strength variations with moisture content

This study investigated the relationship between vane shear strength and moisture content for root-free and root-permeated sandy clay loam and clay soils, with a view to determining the effect of root density on the relationship. The results indicate that for both root-free and root-permeated soils, shear strength increases exponentially with decreasing moisture content. As expected, increases in root density considerably increase the magnitude of shear strength at all moisture contents investigated. In all cases, roots increased the magnitude of the shear strength of the clay soils much more than the sandy clay loam soils. Relative to the root-free soils, the roots increased shear strength in both soils by at least 500%. In the clay soils a higher relative increase of up to 850% is achieved in samples with a root density of 1.80 g cm⁻³. Also, relative to root-free soils, root permeated soils were found to exhibit a higher rate of shear strength increase with soil drying. This, it is suggested, is because of the higher shading effect of the shoots of the root-permeated samples leading to a slower rate of soil drying than in the root-free samples.     

Furrow erosion and aggregate stability variation in a Portneuf silt loam

Numerous soil factors, including aggregate stability, affect erosion rates from irrigated furrows. Since aggregate stability varies within growing seasons, furrow erosion may vary as well. The study objectives were to (1) measure furrow erosion and aggregate stability periodically over two growing seasons, (2) statistically characterize the temporal variation in furrow erosion and aggregate stability, and (3) relate variation in erosion rates to changes in aggregate stability and other soil properties. Erosion rates from replicated, previously unirrigated furrows in fallow plots on a Portneuf silt loam (coarse-silty, mixed, mesic Durixerollic Calciorthid) at Kimberly, Idaho, USA, were measured every 2–3 weeks from mid-May through mid-August 1988, and from late-April to late-August 1989. During each 6.5-h irrigation, three furrows in 1988 and four furrows in 1989 were irrigated at an inflow rate of 11.3 l·min⁻¹. At each irrigation, soil samples were taken to a depth of 5 cm from the bottom of furrows adjacent to or near those irrigated. From these samples, soil gravimetric water content was measured and aggregate stability was determined by wet sieving. Erosion from furrows not previously irrigated varied greatly when measured throughout two growing seasons. For both years, erosion rates were significantly lower later in the growing season than earlier. For a 4.0% slope area in 1988, furrow erosion rates varied over the entire season by a factor of six or more while aggregate stability varied (increased) by only 17%. Thus, aggregate stability was not significantly correlated with furrow erosion rates.     

Interactions between water quality and polymer treatment on infiltration rate and clay migration

The electrical conductivity (EC) and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) of irrigation water significantly affect water transmission properties of soil. Commercially produced polymers which are soluble in water may potentially mitigate the negative consequences of water quality on infiltration rate. Waters were synthesized to have combinations of EC equal to 0.5, 2.0 and 5.0 dS m⁻¹ and SAR of 5, 15 and 25. These waters were applied through a laboratory scale rainfall simulator to 12 × 20 cm trays containing soil. Untreated and treated waters with 10 mg L⁻¹ concentration of a cationic polysaccharide were used in the study. Untreated waters were applied to uncovered soil or to soil covered with fiberglass sheets 0.5 cm above the soil to disrupt the impact energy. The polymer treated waters were only applied to uncovered soil. The steady state infiltration rates were significantly affected by SAR and EC with the trend toward increasing infiltration rate with increasing EC and/or decreasing SAR under all conditions. Impact energy greatly reduced the infiltration rate as compared to no impact energy. The polymer treatment significantly increases the infiltration rate for each water. The relative beneficial effects of polymer tended to be greater with increasing EC and/or decreasing SAR. The clay in runoff and leachate had several significant interactions between waters and treatments. Treatments that tended to produce more fine particulates leading to crust formation and reduced infiltration rate tended to have less clay in the runoff and leachate. Apparently crust formation partially inhibits clay migration.     

Evaporation from soil in relation to residue rate,mixing depth,soil texture and evaporativity

The role of crop residues as a surface mulch on evaporation has been widely studied. But information on evaporation and its reduction by crop residues mixed in surface soil to different depths particularly in relation to soil texture and evaporativity (E_o) is lacking. We studied the effect of four rates of paddy straw, viz. 0, 2, 4 and 8 Mg ha⁻¹ used as mulch and mixed in top soil layer to two depths (2 and 5 cm) under two evaporativities (E_o's) viz. 2.0 ± 0.5 and 8.7 ± 1.5 mm day⁻¹ in silty clay loam and sandy loam soil columns of 0.95 m length and 0.1 m diameter. Cumulative evaporation was predicted from water transmission properties of the soil and E_o as influenced by these variables. The otherwise short-lived benefit of evaporation reduction with mulch per se, which peaked after a few days, plateaued when residue was mixed with soil at peak reduction, and as a result the benefit was prolonged. The maximum reduction achieved was more and sustained for a longer period in finer textured soil, and a higher rate of mulch mixed to a greater depth. Mixing of residue in the surface soil layer not only reduced evaporation but also resulted in higher water content in the near surface soil after drying.     

抚仙湖北部农田区不同施肥对水稻产量、氮素吸收及利用率的影响

针对抚仙湖北部农田区的蔬菜施肥过量导致土壤养分残余量大,会对后作水稻施肥造成影响的问题,采用田间小区开展不同施肥试验研究。结果表明,砂壤土和粘壤土在施氮量为150~360 kg/hm²范围内,水稻植株氮素积累量随着施氮量的增加而提高,而增加的氮素积累量主要表现在茎叶部位;穗肥施用氮肥可提高籽粒氮素积累量。水稻氮肥吸收利用率和产量,砂壤土以施氮255 kg/hm2时最高,分别为45.1%和10594 kg/hm²;而粘壤土施氮150~360 kg/hm²之间,氮肥吸收利用率为20.9%~22.4%之间,产量为10486~10596 kg/hm2之间;当对砂壤土和粘壤土的水稻穗肥施用氮肥时,水稻氮肥吸收利用率（分别为42.8%、23.5%）和产量（分别为10445 kg/hm²、10564 kg/hm²）最高。水稻的氮素收获指数、氮肥农学利用率、氮肥生理利用率及氮肥偏生产力,均以砂壤土明显高于粘壤土,且随着施氮量的增加而显著下降。蔬菜后作水稻施氮量以150~255 kg/hm²范围为宜,氮肥分基肥50%+分蘖肥30%+穗肥20%施用     

Crop and cattle production responses to tillage and cover crop management in an integrated crop–livestock system in the southeastern USA

Integrated crop–livestock systems can help achieve greater environmental quality from disparate crop and livestock systems by recycling nutrients and taking advantage of synergies between systems. We investigated crop and animal production responses in integrated crop–livestock systems with two types of winter cover cropping (legume-derived N and inorganic fertilizer N), two types of tillage [conventional disk (CT) and no tillage (NT)], and whether cover crops were grazed by cow/calf pairs or not. The 13-ha field study was a modification of a previous factorial experiment with four replications on Ultisols in Georgia, USA. Recurring summer drought severely limited corn and soybean production during all three years. Type of cover crop had little influence and grazing of cover crops had minor influence on crop production characteristics. Cattle gain from grazing of winter cover crops added a stable component to production. No-tillage management had large positive effects on corn grain (95 vs. 252 g m⁻² under CT and NT, respectively) and stover (305 vs. 385 g m⁻²) production, as well as on soybean grain (147 vs. 219 g m⁻²) and stover (253 vs. 375 g m⁻²) production, but little overall effect on winter wheat grain (292 g m⁻²) and stover (401 g m⁻²) production. Our results suggest that robust, diversified crop–livestock systems can be developed for impoverished soils of the southeastern USA, especially when managed under no tillage to control environmental quality and improve resistance of crops to drought.     

Dynamics of dissolved silicium and nitrogen-nutrients at low temperature in the Ems-dollard estuary

With salinity and natural fluorescence as conservative tracers to discriminate between fresh water contributions from two different fresh water sources (the river Ems and the river Westerwoldse Aa), deviations from conservative behaviour for silicate, ammonia and nitrate during winter conditions (4–6°C) are reported and discussed. For silicate a net removal from overlying water during transport through the estuary of 15% was found. Nitrification in overlying water (260 μmol·m⁻³·h⁻¹) was the only important process in nitrogen cycling; sediment-water exchange was of no importance during this period.     

Theoretical and field comparison of two types of soil heat fluxmeter

Accurate measurements of soil heat flux are important for energy balance studies on bare soils. Measurements are usually made with passive transducers that transform the vertical soil heat flux into an e.m.f.. Measurement errors or bias result from differences between the calibration coefficients provided by the manufacturer and those determined in the field. These differences result from bad thermal contact between the soil and the fluxmeter and/or changes in soil thermal conductivity. New printed circuit heat fluxmeters are very thin (0.2 mm) and they provide a better thermal contact with the soil because they have an external copper layer instead of an insulating resin. We carried out a theoretical analysis to identify properties of the transducers (geometrical, thermal or electrical) most important for reducing the calibration variability. The transducer thickness was found to reduce the calibration variability due to large soil thermal conductivity variations. Transducer thermal conductivity is also important when the soil thermal conductivity is accurately known. The printed circuit transducers and classical soil heat flux transducers (thermopiles) where then compared in three different soils, a sandy loam, a loamy and a chalky soil under changing climatic conditions in spring. The outputs of both transducers were compared to reference soil heat flux measurements obtained by the heat storage method. The thermopile transducers were more sensitive (4.1 μV W⁻¹ m²) than the printed circuit transducers (1.6 μV W⁻¹ m²). Both transducers gave similar responses when the soil thermal conductivity varied over a narrow range. The total variation of the calibration coefficients of the printed circuit transducer was smaller for all three soils and for days where the soil thermal conductivity varied widely. We conclude that the printed circuit transducers should be used when field calibration is not possible, or when the calibration is not stable following large soil thermal conductivity variations. The experiment also showed that the theory does not completely describe the interaction between calibration coefficients and soil properties. We have therefore developed a new interpretation of the experimental data that takes into account the thermal contact between the soil and the transducer.     

Effects of land reclamation practices on physical properties of an acid,infertile Oxisol

Large areas of soils in tropical rainforests have been damaged by careless mechanical land clearing procedures. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect on soil physical properties of various management practices to reclaim an acid, infertile Oxisol cleared by bulldozer. Crops would not grow on these soils due to low pH, poor fertility or poor physical properties. Properties in the 0- to 25-cm depth of the Typic Haplorthox soil, measured at the beginning of the study, were: 74% clay, bulk density 1.09 Mg m⁻³, pH 3.66, ECEC 8.9 cmol_c 1⁻¹, and available P 0.4 mg 1⁻¹. Land reclamation treatments included all combinations of six tillage practices and three fertility levels. Tillage practices were: hand hoeing to a depth of 15 cm; hoeing plus applying mulch; hoeing and incorporation of green manure; deep forking, i.e., hand digging to 30 cm with a digging fork; deep forking in alternate 20-cm wide strips; and roto-tilling to the 10-cm depth. Fertility levels were:

• 1.1. no fertilizer or lime added;
• 2.2. addition of lime to maintain an Al saturation near 40% and fertilizer to maintain nutrients just above their critical levels;
• 3.3. lime to neutralize all exchangeable A1 and fertilizer to satisfy the P fixation capacity of the soil and to maintain nutrients at optimum levels.

Soil physical properties monitored periodically while growing five consecutive crops were bulk density, mechanical impedance, and infiltration rate. Macroporosity was evaluated after growing the fifth crop. Deep forking and forking in strips decreased bulk density and mechanical impedance and increased macroporosity and infiltration rate. Deep tillage by forking resulted in the driest soil 10 days after rainfall and the rice crop on this treatment experienced temporary wilting. Increasing the fertility level increased root activity which in turn increased mechanical impedance (the soil was drier) and water infiltration rate. We conclude that the soil physical properties of this soil were damaged very little by the land clearing operation and that the inability of the soil to grow crops was due to other factors.     

Soft-bottom benthic community in the estuarine waters of East Java

During the Snellius-II Expedition, both in the period July–August and in the period November–December 1984, the structure of the macrobenthic communities in the estuaries of the rivers Porong, Wonokromo and Solo was investigated. The numerical densities of the benthic organisms (>0.5 mm) from the Porong, Wonokromo, and Bengawan Solo estuaries during the Snellius-II Expedition varied between 87 and 5787 ind·m⁻²; biomasses between 0.4 and 602 g DW·m⁻². The high numerical density (1573 ind·m⁻²) found at st.2 of the Porong estuary in period I (July–August 1984) was attributed to the dense population of the bivalve Varicorbula rotalis. Consequently a very high biomass (602 g DW·m⁻²) was measured at this station.The mollusc Theora lata and the polychaetes Ancistrosyllis parva, Nepthys dibranchis, Paraprionospio pinnata, and Sternaspis laevis occurred at almost every station during the investigation periods.Paraprionospio pinnata and Theora lata, which are considered indicator species of disharmonic environments, were found at almost every station of the study areas in both periods. Species diversity at all the stations was low, ranging form 0.1 to 1.6.     

Biomass and activity of benthic fauna on the fladen ground (northern North Sea)

During May 1983 the abundance and biomass of macrobenthos and meiobenthos populations, as well as the metabolic activity (shipboard incubated and in situ measured respiration, and potential respiration activity by ETS) were studied in the Fladen Ground area.Macrofauna showed an abundance of 4500 specimens per m²; the corresponding biomass was 10.7 g ash-free dry weight per m². The bivalve Arctica islandica, with 12 specimens per m² contributed 7.2 g to this biomass. Average meiofauna numbers, 0.9·10⁶ per m² were low; a meiofaunal biomass of only 0.3 g was estimated. Depending on the method applied, large variations in metabolic activity were found. Results from shipboard incubation experiments probably present a large underestimate. The in situ bell-jar experiments showed an average oxygen uptake of 1010 μmol O₂·m⁻²·h⁻¹, equalling a carbon demand of 7.3 gC·m⁻²·month⁻¹ in May. ETS measurements gave a 3 times higher estimate. Taking into account that macrofaunal and meiofaunal abundance and biomass, as well as bottom temperatures, show minimum values in spring, an annual carbon mineralization by the benthic system of 50 to 70 gC·m⁻² is suggested. This would mean that about one third of the total primary produced organic matter is channelled into the benthic system.     

Plant-availability to barley of phosphorus in ash from thermally treated animal manure in comparison to other manure based materials and commercial fertilizer

Phosphorus (P) is an essential nutrient and a limited resource, yet excess P is applied to agricultural land and can cause environmental problems in areas with intensive animal farming. In this study, the fertilizing effects of P in several animal manure-based products (including thermal treatment) were tested after application to two agricultural soil types (Jyndevad soil: clay 5.1%, silt 4.1%, sand 88.9%, organic matter 2.1%, total C 1.2% soil dry matter (DM), total P 266 mg kg⁻¹ soil DM, pH 6.3; Rønhave soil: clay 15.4%, silt 32.6%, sand 49.6%, organic matter 2.3%, Total C 1.3% soil DM, total P 488 mg kg⁻¹ soil DM, pH 6.6). The first-year effect of P application was tested in a spring barley crop (Hordeum vulgare L.) and residual P effects were tested in a perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) crop the following year. Untreated ash from thermally gasified animal manure biogas residue (GA) and a corresponding neutralized acid extract of the ash (ExL) in liquid form were the products in focus. Other products in use were: pelletized pig manure biogas residue (PEL), incinerated PEL (IA), anaerobically digested pig slurry (DS), dried ExL, dried fraction of separated pig slurry (SS), thermally gasified SS (GAs), thermally gasified poultry manure (GAp), crushed triple super phosphate (TSP) and disodium phosphate (DSP) was used as reference P fertilizer. For application of 20 kg P ha⁻¹ mineral P fertilizer replacement value (RV) in the second year in the sandy soil was 76% and 99% for GA, 79% and 123% for IA, 95% and 155% for PEL, 94% and 73% for ExL, 55% and 15% for ExD, 64% and 82% for SS, 104% and 109% for DS, 60% and 95% for GAp, 73% and 111% for GAs, where the first value is based on barley DM yield and the second on barley total P uptake. Tripling the GA application rate to 60 kg P ha⁻¹ in both soils had no significant effect on barley DM yield and P uptake. The overall efficiency for liquid fertilizers was much higher than for solid ones and relative effectiveness (RE) of ExL was comparable to RE of DSP. Despite the low P level in soils, the ryegrass crop grew very well on both soils in the second year, and there was no detectable residual effect of the treatments on grass yield and P uptake. In conclusion, untreated ash and solid manures used in this study were not suitable as starter P fertilizer, but could be used to maintain the level of available P in soil, as there were indications that ash/manure P contributed significantly to plant P uptake during the growing season of barley.     

Field measurement of the hydraulic properties of soil

Disc permeameters are used here on two contrasting soils to determine absorption and transmission characteristics in the potential range from saturation down to ψ₀ = −100 mm. One soil was a recently-ploughed loam, the other a cracking-prone heavy clay. Despite the dominance of gravity in the former case, and of capillarity in the latter, a rapid onset of geometrically-induced steady flows q_∞, was observed from disc permeameters in both cases. For the loam a twin-disc analysis of q_∞ from discs of different radii, had to be used to determine the sorptivity S₀. Whereas for the clay the ample square-root-of-time behaviour gave S₀ as well. The conductivity K₀ was then derived from q_∞ via Wooding's equation. Another value of K₀ derived for the ploughed loam from a standard determination with a large, buffered ring, did not agree with that from the disc permeameter. This failure arose because of the vertical drop-off in K that rendered impossible the attainment of one-dimensional flow from the inner ring. The loam possessed the hydraulic properties expected of such a medium-textured soil that had recently been disturbed by ploughing. The clay however had a 40-fold jump in K right at saturation reflecting the presence of cracks.     

Effect of soil-N and urine-N on nitrate leaching under pure grass,pure clover and mixed grass/clover swards

During six annual drainage periods (DP_O to DP₅), the drainage water, the NO₃ concentration of the drainage water and the total leached N were compared under bare soils and under ryegrass/white clover, pure ryegrass and pure white clover stands in 80 deep lysimeters with 3m² area. For each soil cover, the sensitivity of the variables to the soil N supplying capacity at sowing was measured, using a set up of 32 lysimeters. This initial capacity to supply mineral N (SoilN) varied from 90 to 230 kg N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. The stands were managed in a simulated rotational grazing system, without addition of fertilizer N. During the first drainage period after sowing (DP₀), N leaching increased significantly with the initial SoilN under the bare soils, the pure grass and the mixture, but was not influenced under the pure clover. In the following drainage periods, N leaching increased according to the sequence pure grass (1–5 kg N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹), mixed swards (1–19 kg N), pure white clover (28–140 kg N) and bare soils (84–149 kgN ha⁻¹ year⁻¹). It was only slightly greater under the mixture than under the pure grass, despite the N harvest and the N animal returns were much higher. Under the mixed stands, N leaching became independent of the initial SoilN in DP₁ and DP₂ and decreased with increasing initial SoilN in DP₃, DP₄ and DP₅. This inversion of the SoilN effect in time and the limited amounts of leached N demonstrated that adaptations in the ecosystem tend to counteract the SoilN effect on the N losses. In the mixed stands, the accumulated N leaching represented 12 and 21% of the accumulated N at harvest for the initially rich and poor soils, respectively and 32% of the accumulated N harvest in the mixed clover, whatever the initial SoilN. N leaching also represented 13% of the urine-N above 80 kgN ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. The low values of N leaching under the mixed swards make them sustainable for environment quality. Mechanisms which regulate the N fluxes are discussed, using published data on the soil and some results concerning the harvests in the same experiment.