再生水灌溉对农田土壤水流运动影响的研究进展

再生水灌溉农田既可节约宝贵的水资源、缓解农业用水紧缺,同时再生水中的多种营养元素和微量元素可促进作物生长、提高粮食产量。但再生水中的物质进入农田后将引起土壤孔隙结构、团聚体结构、黏粒分散特征和水土作用关系等一系列的变化,进而引起土壤入渗性能和导水性能的改变,增大环境污染风险。该文综述了再生水中的悬浮无机固体、大分子有机质、油脂、表面活性剂和盐分对农田土壤水流运动的影响及其作用机理,指出受灌农田土壤结构性质演化过程与驱动机制、受灌农田土壤与灌溉入渗水流之间的相互作用关系为该领域亟需开展的2个研究方向。文章对再生水农田灌溉制度制定、污染风险控制和生态环境保护均有参考价值。     

Effect of tylosin and tylosin fermentation waste on microbial activity of soil

The effect of tyiosin fermentation waste and pure tyiosin on microbial activity in soil was investigated. The addition of tylosin fermentation waste at concentrations equivalent to 0.4, 1.2 and 2 tonnes ha^?1 in the field stimulated microbial activity as measured by O₂ uptake. CO₂ release and N mineralization. After 10 weeks incubation half of the C in the waste had been released as CO₂ while mineralization of N ranged between 31 and 38%. Tylosin was detected in the leachates, and at 10 weeks between 20 and 32% of the tylosin present in the waste had been leached from the soil. Addition of high concentrations of pure tylosin. equivalent to those which would be found in 4. 20 and 40 tonnes fermentation waste ha^?1 in the field, resulted in a decrease in microbial respiration for 5–7 weeks after the addition of the antibiotic. N mineralization was reduced throughout the experiment, compared with the control. A higher concentration of tylosin was detected in the leachates in this experiment and after 10 weeks the quantity of tylosin detected represented between 16 and 24% of the tylosin added. It is suggested that the full fertilizer potential of large additions of antibiotic waste to soil could be reduced to some extent due to the inhibitory activity of the residual antibiotic.     

Effects of Vermicompost Application on Soil Aggregation and Certain Physical Properties

Application of organic waste on agricultural land as a soil conditioner and fertilizing material has lately gained much attention. This study was conducted to determine the effects of vermicompost applications (0·5%, 1%, 2% and 4% w/w) on physical characteristics of soils with different textures (sandy loam, loam and clay), under laboratory conditions. The results indicated that in the higher soil aggregate fraction (>12·7 mm) aggregate fraction was limited at the three soils. Vermicompost applications in all three soils significantly increased organic matter content. When compared with control, the increasing rates in organic matter content were 14·0%, 23·8%, 42·0% and 90·2% for 0·5%, 1%, 2% and 4% vermicompost application doses, respectively. Vermicompost applications increased the wet aggregate stability and decreased the dispersion ratio of all the experimental soils in all aggregate size fractions. Overall, wet aggregate stability increased from 26·9% to 52·2% with the application rate of 4%. Correlation coefficient between organic matter content and wet aggregate stability was found as 0·918^**. The lowest mean bulk density and the highest mean total porosity occurred when the most vermicompost was added. In all the soils studied, the highest permeability coefficients were gained with the application dose of 2%. As a result of increase in wet aggregate stability and decrease in bulk density, air permeability increased, and penetration resistance decreased significantly. The results obtained in this study have clearly indicated that the vermicompost application is an effective way to improve soil physical characteristics. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Improved RP‐HPLC and anion‐exchange chromatography methods for the determination of amino acids and carbohydrates in soil solutions

In spite of their low concentrations in soil solutions, low–molecular weight organic substances (LMWOS) such as amino acids, sugars, and uronic acids play a major role in the cycles of C and N in soil. With respect to their low concentrations and to possible matrix interferences, their analysis in soil leachates is a challenging task. We established two HPLC (high‐performance liquid chromatography) methods for the parallel determination of amino acids and carbohydrates in soil leachates. The pre‐column derivatization of amino acids with an o‐phthaldialdehyde (OPA) mercaptoethanol solution yields quantitation limits between 0.03 and 0.44 µmol L^–1 and S_D values of <8.3% (n = 9). High‐performance anion‐exchange chromatography (HPAEC) on a Dionex CarboPac PA 20 column with a NaOH acetate gradient combined with pulsed amperometric detection (PAD) was used for the determination of carbohydrates. The calibration curves obtained for 11 carbohydrates showed excellent linearity over the concentration range from 0.02 to 50.0 mg L^–1. Recovery studies revealed good results for all analytes (89%–108%). Interferences from Hg(II) salts and chloroform used for stabilization of the leachates did not occur with both chromatographic methods. The optimized method was successfully used for quantitative determinations of amino acids and carbohydrates in soil leachates.     

两种巨桉人工林地土壤抗蚀性的比较研究

[目的]揭示巨桉人工林组培苗和实生苗两种起源对土壤抗蚀性的影响。[方法]利用S形采样法在样地内采集多个样点,按上(0—10cm),中(10—20cm),下(20—30cm)三层分别利用环刀和塑料盒采集原状土壤,测定不同层次土壤容重、非毛管孔隙度、毛管孔隙度、总孔隙度、渗透速率、水稳性团聚体含量等。[结果](1)随着土壤深度增加,两种巨桉林地土壤容重呈现递增趋势,而总孔隙度和通气孔隙度呈递减趋势。组培巨桉林土壤容重低于实生苗巨桉林地,而土壤总孔隙度、通气孔隙度高于显著实生苗巨桉林地(p0.05);(2)随着土壤深度增加,两种巨桉林地土壤水稳性指数、抗蚀指数、团聚状况、团聚度和结构系数呈现下降趋势,水稳性指数和抗蚀指数达到显著水平(p0.05),而分散率和分散系数呈现升高趋势。组培巨桉林地不同土层的抗蚀指数和结构系数均高于实生苗巨桉林地,但分散系数均显著低于实生苗巨桉林地(p0.05);(3)随着土壤深度增加,两种巨桉林地土壤各粒径水稳性团聚体含量和平均重量直径(MWD)呈现出下降趋势,土壤结构体破坏率呈现上升趋势。组培苗巨桉林地不同土层各粒径(5mm;5~2mm;0.5~0.25mm;0.5mm;0.25mm)水稳性团聚体含量和MWD均高于实生苗林地,而结构体破坏率、2~1mm和1~0.5mm水稳性团聚体含量均低于实生苗巨桉林地。[结论]组培巨桉人工林的土壤抗蚀性更佳。     

Determination of Soil Aggregate Porosity Using the Modified Water Saturation Method

The need to find a simple method for measuring soil aggregate porosity(φ) is justified by the growing interest of researchers in this important parameter of soil physical status. The aim of this study was to present a simple method(AM) for estimating the totalφ of a single soil aggregate. In this case, soil aggregate φ was calculated as the quotient between the pore volume, estimated from the weight of the aggregate saturated with ethanol, and the total volume(V_T) of aggregate, calculated from the particle density and dry aggregate weight. The V_T estimated with AM was compared with the corresponding volume measured with the photogrammetry(PHM) technique using soil aggregates of 8–16 mm in diameter and collected from three different tillage systems: conventional tillage(CT), reduced tillage(RT), and no tillage(NT). Next, the AM was used to study the effects of the tillage system on soil aggregateφ. Although a strong relationship(R~2= 0.99, P 0.000 1) between aggregate V_T measured with PHM and that estimated with AM was obtained, AM tended to underestimate aggregate V_T with an average deviation of 2.85%. This difference may be due to ethanol evaporation during the first 10 s before the ethanol-saturated aggregate was weighed. The use of AM to determine the effects of different tillage systems on aggregate φ showed that this method was sensitive to detect significant differences among the tillage treatments.The results showed that AM could be an accurate, simple, and inexpensive alternative to estimate φ of a single soil aggregate.     

Movement of the protozoan pathogen Cryptosporidium parvum through three contrasting soil types

The potential for transfer of the protozoan pathogen Cryptosporidium parvum through soil to land drains and, subsequently, water courses following the application of livestock waste to land was monitored in the laboratory using simulated rainfall and intact soil cores. Following irrigation over a 21-day period, Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts applied to the surface of soil cores (initial inoculum concentration 1×10⁸ oocysts core^–1) were detected, albeit in low numbers, in the leachates from clay loam and silty loam soils but not in that from a loamy sand soil. Variations in leaching patterns were recorded between replicate cores. At the end of the study soil cores were destructively sampled to establish the location of oocysts remaining within the soil. Distribution within cores was similar in all three soil types. The majority (72.8+-5.2%) of oocysts were found in the top 2 cm of soil, with numbers decreasing with increasing depth to 13.2±2.8%, 8.39±1.4%, and 5.36±1.4% at depths of 10, 20, and 30 cm, respectively.     

A comparison of the properties of manufactured soils produced from composting municipal green waste alone or with poultry manure or grease trap/septage waste

Manufactured soil for landscaping purposes was produced by composting for 6 weeks (1) municipal green waste alone, (2) green waste amended with 25% v/v poultry manure, or (3) green waste immersed in, and then removed from, a mixture of liquid grease trap waste/septage. Composting temperatures increased most rapidly and reached highest values (78oC) in the grease trap/septage-amended green waste. In comparison with green waste alone, addition of poultry manure prolonged the period of elevated temperatures and increased the maximum temperature attained from 52oC to 61oC. Following composting, each of the materials was split into (1) 100% compost, (2) 80% compost plus 20% v/v soil, and (3) 70% compost plus 20% soil plus 10% coal fly ash. Addition of poultry manure or grease trap/septage to green waste prior to composting increased bulk density and reduced total porosity of the composted product. Addition of soil, or soil and ash, to composts increased bulk density, reduced total porosity, decreased percentage macropores, and increased percentage mesopores and available water-holding capacity. Bicarbonate-extractable P, exchangeable NH₄⁺ and NO₃⁻, electrical conductivity (EC), soluble C, soluble C as a percentage of organic C, basal respiration, and metabolic quotient were all markedly greater in the grease trap/septage-amended than poultry manure-amended or green waste alone treatments. Values for extractable P and EC were considered large enough to be damaging to plant growth and germination index (GI) of watercress was less than 60% for all grease trap/septage composts. Extractable P and EC were also high, and GI was <100%, in the green waste alone and poultry manure-amended green waste alone treatments. Addition of soil or soil and ash to these composts resulted in GI values >100%.     

Zusammensetzung und Eigenschaften von Sickerwasser aus Stallmiststapeln

Composition and properties of leachates from farmyard manure heaps Besides some rheological characteristics, the N_total, NH₄⁺-N, NO₃^? -N, P, K⁺, dry matter and ash content, as well as chemical oxygen demand and conductivity of farmyard manure leachates were examined. The K⁺ concentration was highest with an average of 5921 mg l^?1, followed by N_total (1139 mg l^?1, 66% of it as NH₄⁺-N and 4% NO₃^?-N) and P (334 mg l^?1). All parameters were highest in leachates of fresh manure and lowest at the end of a 6 months storage period. During the storage, the P concentration in leachates showed a decrease of 67.7%, followed by a decrease in N_t (-57.3%) and K⁺ (-24.0%). In leachates from a manure with an relatively high initial N_t content of 0.51% and a low C:N ratio of 16.8 the N_t concentration was 0.5–1 times higher than that of a manure with 0.44% N_t and a C:N ratio of 19.9. The viscosity and the thixotropy of leachates were both relatively high at the beginning of the manure's storage period, which led to a strongly developed blocking of porous systems. These properties that contribute to explain the high retention rate of nutrients in the top soil layer at manure storage sites, decreased with an increase in storage time.     

Influence of soil properties on the aggregate stability of cultivated sandy clay loams

Purpose

Frequent cultivation and overhead irrigation have led to severe surface crusting, erosion and poor irrigation performance on sandy clay loam soils in the Coal River Valley, Tasmania, Australia. This study was established to identify the key soil properties related to aggregate breakdown determined by different methods, and explore options for reducing soil crusting.

Materials and methods

Soil aggregates were collected from 0 to 5 cm depth from 20 sites managed for packet salad and lettuce production. The stability of air-dried 2.00–4.75 mm aggregates was determined by rainfall simulation, wet sieving and clay dispersion. Soil aggregates were analysed for particle size, mineralogy, soluble and exchangeable cations, pH, EC, labile carbon and total carbon. The association between aggregate stability and the measured soil properties was explored using Spearman correlation, linear regression and regression tree analysis.

Result and discussion

Aggregate stability determined by rainfall simulation was closely associated with soil properties that promote aggregation, including effective cation exchangeable capacity (ECEC) and the proportion of polyvalent cations (Ca²⁺, Al³⁺). In contrast, aggregate stability determined by wet sieving was associated with soil properties that promote disaggregation, including quartz and sand content, and to lesser extent, the proportion of monovalent cations (especially K⁺). Clay dispersion was closely associated with pH, quartz content, soil texture and the sodium adsorption ratio. Soil carbon appeared to have only moderate influence on aggregate stability, but not clay dispersion, while labile carbon was not significantly related to any measure of aggregate stability or clay dispersion. Similarly, the proportion of Na⁺ ions was not related to either measure of aggregate stability and was only moderately related to clay dispersion.

Conclusions

Options for improving aggregate stability appear limited as aggregate stability was strongly related to the content of inherent soil properties such as sand/quartz and smectite contents. However, high correlation between exchangeable Ca²⁺ and aggregate stability determined by rainfall simulation indicates that soil crusting may be reduced through application of products that rich in Ca²⁺ such as gypsum.

     

盐化和有机质对土壤结构稳定性及阿特伯格极限的影响

对甘肃景电灌区盐化和有机质对土壤团聚体的稳定性、黏粒的分散性及阿特伯格极限进行了调查研究。研究结果表明该灌区盐化土壤中水溶性盐以钠盐为主,土壤具有钠质现象。随含盐量和交换性钠离子百分率（ESP）的增加土壤团聚体的稳定性显著降低,黏粒的分散性显著增加,阿特伯格极限具有降低的趋势,明确地说明盐化和伴随着的钠质化是土壤结构性能退化的主要原因。随有机质含量的增加,土壤团聚体的稳定性显著增加,黏粒的分散性显著降低,阿特伯格极限显著增加,说明增加有机质含量可以显著改善盐化土壤的结构性能。可以根据如下公式利用有机质含量（OM）和ESP预测团聚体的稳定性:WSAR=19.4 0.98OM-1.43 ESP（R2=0.5741,n=67）。团聚体稳定性、黏粒分散性、流限和塑限互相之间显著相关,说明流限和塑限可以作为反映盐化土壤结构状况的指标。     

The effect of different post-restoration cropping regimes on some physical properties of a restored soil

Abstract. The aggregate stabilities of a soil restored after opencast mining and an undisturbed soil were measured over a complete cropping year from the time of ploughing a grass ley in autumn. This was to examine the effects of various post-restoration cropping regimes on soil aggregate stability and soil porosity. A wet sieving technique and a mild dispersion method were used to determine indices of soil macro- and micro-aggregate stability, respectively. Air filled porosity at field capacity and crumb porosity were also determined. Removal, storage and restoration decreased macro- and micro-aggregate stability. After restoration, the different grass managements i.e. cutting for silage and grazing, had similar effects on soil aggregate stability and maintained greater aggregate stability than the arable regimes. The pattern of fluctuation in soil macro-aggregate stability over the year was similar under all crops at both sites, but at the restored site there was a decline in stability, and differences in the air filled porosity at field capacity developed between cropping regimes. Micro-aggregate stability was less at the restored than at the undisturbed site and showed no seasonal variation or difference between cropping regimes. However, a difference in crumb porosity between cropping regimes did develop.     

Effects of Rice Husk Ash and Bagasse Ash on Phosphorus Adsorption and Desorption in an Alkaline Soil under Wheat–Rice System

Rice husk ash (RHA) and bagasse ash (BA) are available in large quantities in South Asian countries growing rice and sugarcane. Land application of RHA and BA is likely to influence chemistry of soil phosphorus (P) and thereby P adsorption and desorption. Laboratory studies were carried out to investigate the short-term and long-term effects of RHA and BA application on P adsorption and desorption in an alkaline soil under a wheat–rice system. Addition of RHA or BA (10 Mg ha^?1) resulted in a significant decrease in P adsorption compared to the control. The decrease in P adsorption was lower when RHA and BA were applied to either rice or wheat as compared with when applied to both the crops. The BA was more effective in reducing P adsorption than RHA because of its greater P concentration. Fresh addition of RHA and BA at 1% (dry-weight basis) showed a small effect on P adsorption as compared to their long-term application. The Frendulich isotherm equation gave better fit with the experimental data than the Langmuir equation and is reliable to describe the P quantity/intensity relationships of this soil as affected by the additions of RHA and BA. The P-adsorption capacities (revealed from the Langmuir isotherms) of the unamended control, RHA, and BA (applied to both wheat and rice) were 256, 313, and 385 mg kg^?1, respectively; the corresponding bonding energies for the three treatments are 0.0085, 0.0041, and 0.0026 L kg^?1, respectively. Desorption of P was minimum in the control plots and maximum with BA followed by RHA, especially when applied to both the crops.     

Effect of a Nitrification Inhibitor (3,4-Dimethylpyrazole Phosphate) on Leaching Water Collected from Rose Plants Grown in Four Different Growing Media

A greenhouse experiment was conducted for 130 days to assess the effect of application of uncoated urea (UA) and 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate–coated urea (UDMPP) on mineral nitrogen (N) content [ammonium (NH₄ ⁺)-N and nitrate (NO₃ ^?)-N] in leachates and growing media. Charlotte rose plants grafted on Natal Briar were cultivated in four different media [soil, 100% burnt rice husks (100BRH), a mixture of 65% burnt rice husks and 35% coconut fiber (65BRH), and 100% coconut fiber (100CF)] and fertigated with UA or UDMPP at rate of 170 mg N·L^?1. Results showed that fertilizer induced slight acidity in the leachate collected in all growing media. The use of DMPP diminished cumulative nitrate losses by ?65 and ?60%, in soil and coconut fiber leachates, respectively, as compared to the plots with UA. The UDMPP did not have any effect on nitrate losses in BRH media.     

氮添加对亚高山针叶林土壤结构及水分入渗性能的影响

为探究大气氮沉降增加导致的土壤团聚体结构变化规律及其对土壤水分入渗性能的影响,在贡嘎山针叶成熟林和中龄林内分别设计2种氮肥形态[(NH₄)₂SO₄、KNO₃]和4个浓度水平(0,10,20,40 kg/(hm²·a)N)的添加试验,研究不同形态大气氮沉降对亚高山森林土壤团聚体结构和土壤水分入渗特征的影响。结果表明：(1)随施氮量增加,中龄林土壤大团聚体含量逐渐增加,土壤持水量、孔隙度和水分稳定入渗率逐渐增大;成熟林土壤大团聚体含量、土壤持水量、孔隙度和水分稳定入渗率均表现出先增加后降低的趋势;(2)不同形态氮添加对土壤团聚体结构、孔隙度及水分稳定入渗率的作用无显著差异;(3)土壤持水能力、孔隙度和团聚体结构是土壤入渗性能的主要影响因子,外源氮添加增加中龄林土壤持水量和孔隙度,改善中龄林土壤团聚体结构稳定性和水分入渗性能。     

Estimating root–soil contact from 3D X‐ray microtomographs

Adequate contact with the soil is essential for water and nutrient adsorption by plant roots, but the determination of root–soil contact is a challenging task because it is difficult to visualize roots in situ and quantify their interactions with the soil at the scale of micrometres. A method to determine root–soil contact using X‐ray microtomography was developed. Contact areas were determined from 3D volumetric images using segmentation and iso‐surface determination tools. The accuracy of the method was tested with physical model systems of contact between two objects (phantoms). Volumes, surface areas and contact areas calculated from the measured phantoms were compared with those estimated from image analysis. The volume was accurate to within 0.3%, the surface area to within 2–4%, and the contact area to within 2.5%. Maize and lupin roots were grown in soil (<2 mm) and vermiculite at matric potentials of ?0.03 and ?1.6 MPa and in aggregate fractions of 4–2, 2–1, 1–0.5 and < 0.5 mm at a matric potential of ?0.03 MPa. The contact of the roots with their growth medium was determined from 3D volumetric images. Macroporosity (>70 µm) of the soil sieved to different aggregate fractions was calculated from binarized data. Root‐soil contact was greater in soil than in vermiculite and increased with decreasing aggregate or particle size. The differences in root–soil contact could not be explained solely by the decrease in porosity with decreasing aggregate size but may also result from changes in particle and aggregate packing around the root.     

木霉制剂改良滨海盐渍土台田生态效应

生物改良滨海盐渍土是一种投资少、需时短、见效快、长期受益的环保生态型技术。通过田间试验将木霉制剂[活性成分为木霉分生孢子,1×107(CFU)·g~(-1)]施用到滨海中度盐渍土台田(含盐量2.99 g·kg~(-1),砂壤土),对土壤改良台田试验区不同处理(施用木霉制剂和常规对照处理)及辅助试验区日光温室(含盐量0.98 g·kg~(-1),壤土)、滨海轻度盐渍土开垦田(含盐量1.75 g·kg-1,轻壤土)、滨海重度盐渍土河滩地(含盐量26.19 g·kg~(-1),砂壤土)的耕层土壤取样室内测定,探究木霉在滨海中度盐渍土台田施用的生态效应。滨海中度盐渍土台田木霉处理与对照处理相比,土壤紧实度提高177.04%,土壤水稳性团聚体数量(≥0.25 mm)提高265.78%,土壤含水率提高320.83%,土壤碱解氮、有效磷、速效钾和有机质含量分别提高96.14%、42.17%、105.65%和63.79%;土壤稀释法培养微生物,细菌、放线菌、真菌、固氮菌数量比对照分别提高170.95%、82.68%、152.17%和471.93%。滨海中度盐渍土台田木霉处理与滨海重度盐渍土河滩地比较,有利于植物生长的指标土壤紧实度、水稳性团聚体、有机质和微生物群落数量分别提高1.53倍、2.11倍、3.20倍和28.33倍,不利植物生长的水溶性盐下降96.60%;滨海中度盐渍土台田通过木霉制剂改良,土壤紧实度、总孔隙度、含水率、有效磷、有机质和微生物数量与滨海轻度盐渍土开垦田相比无显著差异;滨海中度盐渍土台田木霉处理后土壤容重降低、总孔隙度增加,与高产日光温室非盐渍化土壤相比接近。滨海重度盐渍土通过沙土抬高1.2 m筑田变为中度盐渍土,降盐效果较好,再通过加入生物改良措施提高土壤营养和有益微生物,优化土壤团粒结构,利于提高滨海中度盐渍土台田改良效率和质量,促进滨海中度盐渍土台田生态的改善。     

Cadmium soil sorption at low concentrations. VII: Effect of stable solid waste leachate complexes

Soil sorption of Cd in solid waste leachates of landfill, sewage sludge, and incinerator residue was studied in the laboratory with emphasis on the behavior of Cd present as stable complexes. A previously developed speciation method was employed to determine free divalent Cd and complexed Cd of various stability. The experiments involved 13 soils covering a wide range of clay contents. Speciation of Cd present in solution after exposure to increasing amounts of soil showed that stable Cd complexes did not sorb onto the soil. This was supported by equilibrium isotherms exhibiting similar solute concentration intercepts and by a leaching study of soil columns which resulted in the same concentration of stable Cd complexes. The stable complexes were of the order of 1 to 10 μg Cd L^?1, the higher values found in landfill and sewage sludge leachate. Very little Cd present in the leachates was free divalent Cd (a few percent), which may explain the low Cd distribution coefficients (3 to 70 L kg^?1).     

Leachate quality from gypsum neutralized red mud applied to sandy soils

Mixtures of fine bauxite refining residue (red mud), waste gypsum and local sandy soil that are proposed to be used in a catchment nutrient management program, were watered in columns simulating rainfall over a period of 2 yr and the quality of the leachate determined. The major salts released were sodium sulphate, a product of red mud alkalinity neutralization by gypsum, and excess gypsum released at its solubility concentration. At an application rate of 850 t ha^?1 of red mud the salts leached to groundwater (40 kg t^?1 red mud) would be equivalent to salts leached by rainfall over a 20 yr period from soil without red mud application, and would pose no significant impact when applied to the sandy agricultural soils in the catchment area of an estuary. The leaching of Al, Fe, and Cd from the red mud and gypsum was negligible, while the retention of superphosphate was over 99%. Fluoride from the waste gypsum was leached rapidly and reduced to background concentration (less than 1 mg L^?1) within one winter rainfall.     

Effects of aggregate structure and organic C on wettability of Ustolls

Soil wettability is especially important for rainfed agriculture in climates with a dry period during the growing season. The effect of aggregate structure and soil organic C content on wettability of soil aggregates was determined for grassland (grass) and tilled fields (tillage). Soil organic C, plastic limit, aggregate total porosity, and wettability at 100 mm (rapid wetting) and 300 mm (slow wetting) water tension were measured on soil at 0–0.2 m depth. Natural aggregates from tillage and grass were compared to soil pellets formed by remolding aggregates. At both tensions, wettability of grass aggregates was significantly greater than that of tillage aggregates (P ≤ 0.001). Pellets were significantly less wettable than natural aggregates at 300 mm tension and during the initial wetting at 100 mm tension, but became significantly more wettable with time at 100 mm tension. Cumulative water uptake during 60 min exceeded the initial total porosity of pellets and natural tillage aggregates, suggesting incipient failure (formation of microcracks) during fast wetting. Grass aggregates contained twice as much organic C as tillage aggregates (26 g kg⁻¹ versus 13 g kg⁻¹). Organic C was linearly and positively related to plastic limit, total porosity, and the wettability of natural aggregates at 300 mm tension. At 100 mm tension, organic C was negatively related to wettability of natural aggregates under grass, but unrelated to wettability under tillage. Aggregate wettability was positively related to organic carbon content, except when the arrangement of soil constituents reduced or prevented incipient failure and soil dispersion during rapid wetting resulted in cumulative water uptake (60 min) similar to initial aggregate total porosity. Organic C increased wettability of grass aggregates when compared to tillage aggregates and also stabilized natural aggregates during fast wetting (100 mm tension). Both soil organic C content and aggregate structure were key factors controlling aggregate stability and wettability.