Shrinkage Characteristics of Lime Concretion Black Soil as Affected by Biochar Amendment

Studies have reported that biochar is a sustainable amendment that improves the chemical and physical properties of soil.In this study,an incubation experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of different application rates of biochar on the cracking pattern and shrinkage characteristics of lime concretion black soil after three wetting and drying cycles.Biochar derived from the corn straw and peanut shell mixture was applied to the soil at rates of 0,50,100,and 150 g kg~(-1)dry weight,representing the treatments T_(0),T_(50),T_(100),and T_(150),respectively.During the wetting and drying cycles,the cracking pattern and shrinkage characteristics of the unamended and amended soil samples were recorded.Application of biochar significantly increased soil organic carbon content in the samples.During soil desiccation,biochar significantly reduced the rate of water loss.Cracks propagated slowly and stopped due to the relatively higher water content in the soil applied with biochar.The cracking area density(ρ_c),equivalent width,fractal dimension,and cracking connectivity index decreased during the drying process with increasing application rate of biochar.Theρ_(c )value of the T_(50),T_(100),and T_(150) treatments decreased by 33.6%,52.1%,and 56.9%,respectively,after three wetting and drying cycles,whereas the T_(0) treatment exhibited a marginal change.The coefficient of linear extensibility,an index used to describe onedimentional shrinkage,of the unamended soil sample(T_(0))was approximately 0.23.Application of 100 and 150 g kg~(-1)biochar to the soil significantly reduced the shrinkage capacity by 41.45%and 45.54%,respectively.The slope of the shrinkage characteristics curve,which indicates the ralationship between soil void ratio and moisture ratio,decreased with increase in the application rate of biochar.Furthermore,compared with the T_(0) treatment,the proportional shrinkage zone of the shrinkage characteristic curve of the T_(50),T_(100),and T_(150) treatments decreased by 5.8%,13.1%,and 12.1%,respectively.Differences were not observed in the moisture ratio at the maximum curvature of the shrinkage characteristic curve among the treatments.The results indicate that biochar can alter the cracking pattern and shrinkage characteristics of lime concretion black soil.However,the effects of biochar on the shrinkage of lime concretion black soil are dependent on the number of wetting and drying cycles.     

干湿交替对水稻土碳氮矿化的影响

通过室内培育试验,研究干湿交替条件下长期不同施肥处理水稻土微生物生物量和理化性状变化对土壤C、N矿化的影响机制.结果表明,与连续淹水(Cw)处理相比,干燥处理不仅显著地提高了所有施肥处理土壤有机C的矿化速率,其幅度为78%～204%,而且也提高了各处理土壤微生物生物量C和N,其幅度分别为55%～77%和57%～72%;干燥后淹水处理土壤有机C矿化速率的提高幅度为74%～95%,呈先降低再升高的趋势.土壤N的矿化在干湿交替过程的干燥处理中降低34%～78%:干燥后淹水过程仅使NPK处理的升高21%,而CK和NPKOM处理分别降低5%和13%.在培养过程中土壤Eh值仅在-60～60 mV范围时,与土壤微生物生物量C之间有显著的负相关关系.在干湿交替的干燥过程,随土壤pH值的升高土壤微生物生物量C有增加的趋势,在淹水条件下土壤pH值则仅与NPKOM处理土壤微生物生物量C之间有明显的负相关关系.干湿交替条件下土壤 pH和 Eh 值、微生物群落组成和数量与有机质的矿化之间的相互作用关系复杂,三者间的作用机理需进一步研究.     

Changes in soil aggregate water stability induced by wetting and drying cycles in non-saturated soil

Wetting and drying of remoulded soil resulted in water stable aggregation. The greatest proportions of water stable aggregates arose from wetting and drying in the ?1 to ?100 kPa range of matric water potential. The effect occurred with sterile and non-sterile soil. but the proportion of water stable aggregates was less with sterile soil. The application of wetting and drying cycles in the laboratory to non-tilled soil resulted in a steady decrease in the proportion of water stable aggregates. With tilled soil, the proportion of water stable aggregates first increased to a maximum and then decreased steadily with further wetting and drying cycles. However. with sterilized, tilled soil, only a steady decrease in the proportion of water stable aggregates was observed. Natural water content fluctuations in the field after tillage gave an increase in water stability to a maximum after a few days followed by a steady decrease. The similarity of this result to that obtained in the laboratory for tilled. non-sterilized soil indicates that micro-organisms were probably contributing to the observed short-term changes in the water stability of aggregates in the field.     

干湿交替下膨胀土裂隙演化与强度衰减规律试验研究

为揭示干湿循环效应下膨胀土胀缩裂隙的演化特征及土体结构强度的劣化规律,对合肥弱膨胀土试样开展不同循环幅度下的干湿循环试验,利用图像处理技术从试样表面裂隙图像中提取出裂隙参数,并进行低应力下的抗剪强度试验。试验结果表明:1)裂隙开展分为裂隙酝酿期、裂隙快速传播期和裂隙平稳发展期3个阶段,裂隙指标的增长主要集中在裂隙快速传播期,且循环幅度的增大会使土体的开裂程度加剧;2)在干湿循环作用下,膨胀土的内摩擦角变化幅度小于2.2°,其受干湿循环次数的影响很小,土体的强度衰减主要源于粘聚力的大幅降低。膨胀土的粘聚力呈现出先快后缓的衰减趋势,其中前4次干湿循环期间粘聚力的衰减率达到50.97%～66.92%,且衰减率也与干湿循环幅度的大小密切相关;3)通过灰色关联度分析发现,粘聚力的衰减与裂隙面积率、裂隙总长度、裂隙平均宽度的变化趋势具有明显的关联性,其中裂隙面积率的关联度最大,其与粘聚力衰减率间的关联度为0.785～0.832,相应的权重达到0.461～0.472,且裂隙面积率与粘聚力衰减率间具有较好的线性关系,而裂隙平均宽度的关联度最小,其与粘聚力衰减率间的关联度为0.392～0.414,对应的权重仅为0.228～0.240。研究成果可为进一步揭示剧烈温湿变化诱发的膨胀土边坡灾变机理提供重要依据。     

ROTHAMSTED STUDIES OF SOIL STRUCTURE III

The response of three pairs of soils having contrasting management behaviour to changes in water content was investigated by measuring moisture characteristics, shrinkage, and pore size distributions by mercury porosimetry. Sample preparation for mercury porosimetry was by direct drying, or water replacement by methanol and liquid CO₂ followed by evaporation above the critical temperature. In heavy textured horizons, water release on shrinkage between -0.05 and -15 bar matric potentials occurs when pores of 10–200 nm equivalent plate separation contract. Structure development is dependent on the stability and regeneration of pores in the size range 200 nm-30 μm during cycles of wetting and drying. Soils with little stable porosity in this size range show nearly normal shrinkage and have coarse structural units, whereas soils with stable or regenerating porosity depart more from normal shrinkage and structure in the profile tends towards a finer per unit. The application of mercury porosimetry shows promise for determining possible porosity limitations in soil profiles.     

Effect of two soil moisture levels and wetting‐drying cycles on manganese release in NaCl‐amended soils

Abstract

Effect of two moisture levels (22.5 and 13.5%, w/w) and wetting‐drying cycles on manganese solubility was studied in NaCl‐amended soil. During 6 d incubation, higher moisture level released 40‐fold more water‐soluble Mn and 60‐fold more NH₄OAc‐exchangeable‐Mn in non‐salinized soil. In NaCl‐treated soil, 50 to over 200% greater soluble and exchangeable Mn was recovered from samples incubated at 22.5% compared to 13.5% water levels. Wetting‐drying cycles significantly (P≤0.05) decreased water‐soluble Mn, which accounted for 50 to 60% increases in the exchange‐able Mn. Since other non‐oxidizing/reducing cations (Ca, Mg, Na, K) also demonstrated similar behavior, it is proposed that in addition to oxidation upon drying and reduction upon wetting, the increases in exchangeable Mn and simultaneous decreases in soluble Mn concentration are due to sorption processes. These results suggest that under field conditions, the insolubility of Mn due to continued wetting‐drying cycles may eventually lead to Mn deficiency in soils low in Mn.     

不同补水方式下砂壤土渗滤系统对硝态氮去除效果

在水资源短缺的北京地区利用再生水回补城市河湖,一方面对于水资源的可持续利用有着十分重要的作用,另一方面也可能带来地下水环境的潜在污染风险.该文采用100 cm砂壤土柱模拟(河湖岸底)土地渗滤系统,设置定水头淹水、交替淹水落干、定流速补水和侧向补水4种不同再生水回补方式,研究再生水中硝态氮(NO3-N)在土地渗滤系统中的去除效果和迁移转化规律.结果表明,当水力负荷在0.25~2.65 cm/d范围内时,渗滤系统对NO3-N的去除率随着水力负荷的增大而减小;侧向补水方式下渗滤系统对NO3-N的去除效果最优,平均去除率高达96.1%.在定水头淹水和侧向补水方式下,系统对NO3-N的去除主要发生在土柱的上部,而交替淹水落干和定流速补水条件下,土柱中下部对NO3-N也有一定的去除作用.渗滤系统对NO3-N的去除主要取决于系统内部微生物的分布情况,土层中的反硝化细菌数量越大,该土层对NO3-N的去除率就越高.当水温在15~32℃范围内变化时,定水头淹水和交替淹水落干补水方式下,系统对NO3-N的去除率与温度分别呈指数和幂函数关系.该研究表明土地渗滤系统可实现再生水的进一步净化处理,可为再生水安全回补河湖提供参考.     

Microbial biomass dynamics and soil wettability as affected by the intensity and frequency of wetting and drying during straw decomposition

Water repellency is influenced by soil management and biological process. We carried out a 60‐day laboratory incubation experiment to evaluate the effects of straw amendment, together with the intensity and frequency of wetting and drying (W/D), on microbial processes and water repellency. One W/D cycle consisted of 1.5‐day wetting at −0.03 kPa from the soil core bottom and different drying lengths in a temperature‐controlled laboratory, resulting in different drying intensities. At a regular interval, soil respiration rate (SRR) on drying and wetting, soil microbial biomass C and N (SMB‐C and N), and soil water repellency (SWR) after the wetting were measured simultaneously. Rice straw amendment had a greater effect on SRR, but smaller influences on SMB and SMB‐C : N than W/D frequency and drying intensity. The first W/D caused the largest decrease in soil respiration and the soil respiration recovered partly in the subsequent W/D cycles. The increase in SMB and SMB‐C : N as well as metabolic quotient with W/D frequency and intensity suggested a shift of microbial community from bacterial dominance to fungal dominance. SWR was significantly related to SMB‐C (R²= 0.689, P < 0.001). However, this study was limited to these indirect measurements. Direct measurements of fungal biomass and microbial community are needed in the future. The results suggest that rice straw amendment in dry season may increase C sequestration due to reduced decomposition and stabilize soil structure due to the enhancement of microbial induced water repellency.     

Influence of drying and ageing on the stabilization of earthworm (Lumbricidae) casts

The influence of drying and ageing on the stabilization of casts produced by the endoge′ic earthworm, Aporrectodea rosea, from a soil, which was hard-setting and low in organic matter, were investigated in the laboratory. Casts and uningested soil were aged-most for up to 32 days, dried for up to 21 days, or subjected to different wetting and drying cycles over 30 days. The dispersion index of aged-moist casts decreased from 0.40 to 0.25 over 32 days, while dispersion index of dried casts decreased from 0.40 to 0.01 over 21 days. The dispersion index of air-dried casts was not significantly increased by five cycles of wetting and drying. The dispersion index of dried casts was not significantly less than that of dried soil. In soils wetter than a matric potential of approximately –35kPa, stabilization of casts was probably due to a combination of cohesion of soil particles, age-hardening and growth of microorganisms. However, in soils drier than –35kPa, cementation was probably the major mechanism of stabilization. The addition of wheat straw to the soil prior to ingestion by earthworms increased dispersion from aged-moist casts, but did not influence dispersion from dried casts. The addition of wheat straw decreased the number of air-dried casts which slaked severely. The concentration of soluble carbohydrate decreased with dispersion index as casts and uningested soil were each dried. This suggested that soluble carbohydrate may have been denatured with or without being bonded to soil particles during drying. Received: 7 May 1996     

Phosphorus desorption affected by drying and wetting cycles in Ferralsols and Luvisols of Brazilian Northeast

Semiarid soils are subjected to wetting and drying cycles which influence sorption and desorption of applied phosphorus fertilizer. Phosphorus desorption was determined in soils from toposequences of two soil groups (Ferralsol and Luvisol) from a semiarid area, subjected to wetting and drying cycles. Samples from surface and subsurface horizons of upslope, midslope, and downslope positions were incubated for 4 months with phosphorus doses corresponding to 0, 5, 10, 25, 50, 75, and 100% of the maximum adsorption capacity, under constant moisture (80% water retention capacity) or 12 cycles of wetting and drying. Phosphorus desorption was lower in the Ferralsol than in the Luvisol, and lower in the subsurface than in the surface horizons, probably due to greater clay, Fe, and Al oxides contents, but they were similar among slope positions, of same mineralogy. Desorption tended to be greater in samples submitted to wetting and drying cycles but differences were small. P recovery reached 40–50% in the Luvisol, and 30–40% in the Ferralsol. The relatively low P retention capacity suggests a high residual effect of the P applied. Therefore, in relation to P losses, water retention techniques are less important than those that prevent soil erosion.     

土壤干湿交替对玉米生长速度及其耗水量的影响

在盆栽条件下研究了干湿交替对玉米生长速率、叶片水势、渗透势、气孔导度、相对生长速率和耗水量的影响。结果表明玉米在3～7叶期经历土壤水分缓慢亏缺,再进行复水的干湿交替后玉米叶片渗透调节能力明显增加,叶片生长表现出补偿效应,每次干湿交替后生长速率迅速下降的叶水势趋于下降,气孔导度对土壤水分变化非常敏感,并在干旱—复水过程中具有后效作用,蒸腾耗水量随干—湿交替而具有下降趋势,初步证明可在节水灌溉条件下人为控制不同生育时期的供水时间形成干湿交替,促进渗透调节能力增强和补偿生长来实现作物高产、高效、优质的目的     

Shrinkage properties of differently managed clay soils in Finland

Soil cracking is a well-known phenomenon, also seen in clay soils in the boreal climatic zone. This study was carried out to quantify soil shrinkage properties in six differently managed clay soils in Finland (Vertic Cambisols, 51% clay). Cylinder samples (100 cm³) were taken in spring from two depths (0–5 and 5–10 cm), then saturated with water and dried as a function of applied suction. The heights of the sample were measured after each drying step and the volume of soil was calculated assuming isotropic shrinkage. The volume loss by shrinkage at a suction of −50 kPa was 1.6–3.8% and the total shrinkage was 5.2–10.5% of the total soil volume, respectively. All shrinkage curves showed structural shrinkage which occurred in the matric potential range from saturation to around −6 kPa. The shrinkage curves were characterized by minor proportional and wide residual shrinkage zones. Eight of twelve sites showed a steeper shrinkage in the proportional shrinkage zone than the theoretical 1:1 line. Large slope values, up to 3.0, reflect the collapse of inter-aggregate pore space due to shrinkage pressure. The results indicate significant particle rearrangement and structural changes, e.g. structural collapse and changes in inter-aggregate pore space due to shrinkage pressure. Continuous water saturation and variable periods of freezing between spring and autumn are mostly responsible for soil weakness against increasing effective stress as soil dries. It is presumed that shrinkage behaviour will change substantially with increases in drying and wetting cycles.     

Effect of wetting and drying of soils on phosphate adsorption and resin extraction of soil phosphate

Sixteen topsoils from Denmark and the UK were subjected to two wetting and drying treatments: (i) moist incubation (wet), (ii) eleven wetting and drying cycles (W/D). The W/D treatment resulted in larger P adsorption and resin extraction of soil P than the wet treatment. The differences in P adsorption at the final concentration of 800 μM P were mainly above 20 per cent, whereas the differences in amount of resin-extracted P were mainly less than 20 per cent. The effects were positively correlated with the cation exchange capacity of inorganic components. Furthermore, the increase in rapidly released P was positively correlated with pH. It is suggested that wetting and drying effects on P adsorption and desorption are associated with changes in soil structure caused by rewetting of dry samples.     

土壤干湿收缩特征研究进展

土壤收缩特征是土壤在干燥、湿润交替变化过程中所表现出的土壤容积随含水量改变的关系。本文就土壤容积变化表示方法、土壤收缩特征曲线模型、膨胀土水分运动等方面进行总结和归纳,以便为优先流运动和土壤胀缩运动提供重要的参考价值。     

Water-dispersible clay after wetting and drying cycles in four Brazilian oxisols

Widespread intensive land use in the seasonal tropics can damage the physical stability of aggregates. Similar damage can be expected from wetting and drying cycles causing aggregate fragmentation and, consequently, leading to an increase in their specific area and exposure of internal electric charges. Thus, we hypothetised that the influence of wetting and drying cycles is dependent on the mineralogical composition of oxisols (latosols) and it is higher in soils with low aggregate stability. A greenhouse experiment was carried out to test this hypothesis in highly weathered soils from Brazil, all with variable-charge clays and highly stable aggregates. Wetting and drying cycles were defined from the quantity of water available between field capacity and the permanent wilting point. Soil columns were submitted to 0, 2, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 wetting and drying cycles. After each number of wetting and drying defined physical and chemical properties were determined. Statistical analysis, such as simple and multiple linear regression and Pearson's correlation were performed, showing significantly correlated WDC contents with wetting and drying cycles. The obtained results led to the conclusion that there was a close interdependence among mineralogical composition, aggregate stability and WDC influenced by wetting and drying cycles. Soils of reduced aggregate stability like kaolinitcs made them more susceptible to the action of wetting and drying on the WDC. Changes in the WDC with wetting and drying cycles showed correlated with eletrochemical properties.     

Eluviation of dissolved organic carbon under wetting and drying and its influence on water infiltration in degraded soils restored with vegetation

One mechanism in the restoration of severely degraded soil by vegetation might be the movement of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to macropore and aggregate surfaces. We propose that this lowers the soil wetting rate and subsequently its slaking resistance by creating a partially hydrophobic surface. In this study, we determined how wetting and drying (w/d) cycles redistribute DOC to soil surfaces, and how DOC affects hydrophobicity where it accumulates, in relation to the soil surface area to volume ratio and to different types of vegetation planted to restore a severely degraded soil. Repacked soil cores that simulate different soil aggregate sizes were tested. The results showed that w/d cycles increase surface DOC concentration through a depletion of DOC in the interior of the soil. Correspondingly, w/d cycles enhanced hydrophobicity, measured as a water repellency index, R, from 1.5–2.3 to 3.6–7.6, the values affected significantly by the type of vegetation. This index (R) did not change for a control soil with no vegetation. The link between the amount of DOC and water repellency was weak (coefficient of determination r² = 0.06–0.26), indicating that DOC quality was probably more important than its quantity. Although increasing the core size resulted in a greater accumulation of DOC on the drying surface of the core, the impact of this on water repellency was minimal. Incubation caused a decrease in the amount of DOC, but had minimal influence on water repellency. This work improves the understanding of changes in soil wetting and soil stabilization under processes of natural weathering and vegetation restoration.     

The effects of wetting and drying cycles,temperature and extracting solutions on measured potassium fixation in soils of two regions of morocco

Abstract

Five representative soils with contrasting physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics from the Chaouia and Gharb regions of northwestern Morocco were selected for a study of the effects of wetting and drying cycles (W‐D), temperature, amount of K⁺ added, and extracting solution on the determination of K‐fixation. With drying at 40°C and the use of of 0.2 M CaCl₂ for K⁺ extractions, the measured amount of K⁺ fixed increased with increased number of W‐D cycles when high quantities of K were added. The drying, however, caused release of K⁺ when no or small amounts of K⁺ were added even for soils not containing mica (illite). With 2 W‐D cycles, measured K⁺ fixation decreased with increasing drying temperature from 40^oC to 100^oC regardless of the extracting solution when the calculated fixation was based on the initial extractable K⁺ rather than the quantity extracted from the zero treatment after wetting and drying. Also, significant differences in K⁺ fixation existed between extracting solutions at any given temperature. Because of the different drying temperatures and extracting salts used it is difficult to compare results of K⁺ fixation reported in different studies. Frequent changes in temperature and soil water content during the growing season in Mediterranean climates may have an important influence on K⁺ availability.     

Enhanced sorption and fixation of radiocaesium in soils amended with K-bentonites, submitted to wetting–drying cycles

The use of bentonites as soil amendment has met with little success in reducing plant uptake of radiocaesium. However, bentonites exchanged with K⁺ have pronounced Cs⁺ binding capacity when subjected to wetting–drying cycles. Fifty‐four different bentonites were collected and characterized for cation exchange capacity and chemical composition. The radiocaesium interception potential (RIP) increased up to 160‐fold (mean 25) when the bentonites were converted to the K‐form and subjected to wetting–drying cycles. This increase in radiocaesium sorption was ascribed to a collapse of the clay sheets into an illite‐like structure, and was most pronounced in bentonites with a high layer charge. The RIP values of K‐bentonites subjected to 25 wetting–drying cycles ranged from 0.22 to 44.3 mol kg^?1. The RIP yields, i.e. the RIP in soil–bentonite mixtures expressed per unit bentonite added, were even higher and ranged up to 99 mol kg^?1. This upper limit is about 10‐fold higher than the RIP value of illite (～ 10 mol kg^?1), the principal ¹³⁷Cs sorbent in soils of temperate climates. Wetting–drying also promoted fixation of radiocaesium in soils amended with K‐bentonites. About 30% of added ¹³⁷Cs could be desorbed with 1 m ammonium acetate (NH₄Ac) from an unamended soil after 25 wetting–drying cycles, while only between 8 and 21% of ¹³⁷Cs could be desorbed from a soil amended with bentonite and a K‐salt. These findings support the proposition that addition of K‐bentonite may be effective in reducing availability of ¹³⁷Cs in soils.     

Particulate organic matter in water stable aggregates formed after the addition of C-labeled maize residues and wetting and drying cycles in vertisols

Development of soil structure and the dynamics of water stable aggregates (WSA) in many soils are known to be closely related to the cycling of soil organic matter. In some fine and medium textured soils particulate organic matter (POM) has been found to act as a nucleus for macroaggregate formation. However, this role of POM in aggregate formation has not been demonstrated in soils dominated by smectitic clay minerals. This study explored aggregation processes in a Vertisol from a semi-arid region in Northeastern Mexico in relation to the addition of ¹⁴C-labeled maize residues and application of wetting and drying cycles during 105 days of incubation. Fractionation of the WSA formed showed that labeled residues were preferentially accumulated in large macroaggregates (>2000 μm). Treatments with addition of organic residues had three to four times more intra-aggregate particulate organic matter (iPOM) in large macroaggregates than the control after 14 days of incubation. Residue-derived carbon accounted for 53% and 41% of the total carbon stored in the iPOM fraction in amended treatments with and without wetting and drying cycles, respectively. Conversely, residue-derived carbon represented <20% of the total carbon in the iPOM fraction from small macroaggregates (250-2000 μm) and microaggregates (53-250 μm). Results also showed that the amount and concentration of carbon per large macroaggregate did not differ between the large macroaggregates formed under wetting and drying and those formed in continuous moist conditions. However, due to formation of higher number of large macroaggregates per kg of soil, more carbon could be stored in amended soils under wetting and drying than in constantly wet soil: 1.4, 1.8 and 2.7 times more ¹⁴C kg⁻¹ soil after 14, 58 and 105 incubation days, respectively. The results in this study suggest that wetting and drying enhanced protection of the added maize residues inside large macroaggregates by forming more aggregates, rather than by increasing the amount of POM entrapped per aggregate. Therefore, after the addition of organic residues, this soil could accumulate more C than continuous moist soil through the influence that wetting and drying has on soil aggregation.