Effect of sample pretreatment on aggregate stability measured by wet sieving or turbidimetry on soils of different cropping history

The effects of cropping history (pasture or arable) and sample pretreatment (field-moist, air-dried or air-dried and then tension or vacuum rewetted) on aggregate stability as measured by wet sieving or turbidimetry were compared. When field-moist samples were used there was a tendency for aggregate stability, as measured by wet sieving, to decline with increasing time under arable cropping (i.e. decreasing soil organic matter content). Air-drying samples caused a pronounced decline in stability of soils from under arable management and as a consequence there was a marked decline in stability with increasing time under arable. Use of tension or vacuum rewetted samples resulted in high values of stability which were unaffected by cropping history. For turbidimetry, there was a marked decline in measured stability with increasing time under arable cropping when field-moist samples were used. Air-drying caused an increase in measured stability that was relatively greater for the less stable samples. In comparison with air-dried samples, tension and vacuum rewetting caused a decrease in stability values for relatively unstable soils. It is suggested that, upon air-drying (and contraction of aggregates), additional intermolecular associations were formed between soil constituents thus conferring greater stability on aggregates. This resulted in reduced dispersion (and the release of particles <0.04 mm in diameter) from the surfaces of aggregates and slaked aggregate fragments following rapid rewetting. As a consequence stability as measured by turbidimetry was increased by drying. For aggregates from a predominantly arable history, this stabilization was not great enough to prevent slaking occurring following rapid rewetting, with the formation of a large proportion of stabilized fragments <0.5 mm in diameter. The stability of these aggregates as measured by wet sieving was therefore decreased by drying.