Influence of crop residues and nitrogen fertilizer on soil water repellency and soil hydrophobicity under long-term no-till

Crop residues and N fertilizer under no-till may increase soil water repellency (SWR) and soil hydrophobicity, but few studies have examined these two treatment factors and their interaction. A laboratory study was conducted using a long-term (since 1999) field experiment on a clay loam soil to determine the effect of three crop residues and two N fertilizer levels on SWR and soil hydrophobicity under no-till within the Dark Brown soil zone of the semi-arid Canadian prairies. The three residue treatments were residues removed from soil (Rx0), residues returned to soil (Rx1), and residues supplemented to soil (Rx2). The two fertilizer N treatments were 0 (N0) and 45 kg N ha−1 (N1). Surface (0–10 cm) soil samples were taken in the spring of 2017 after 17 yr. Laboratory measurements were conducted on air-dried and sieved (<2 mm) soil to determine SWR using the repellency index method (RI), soil organic C, hydrophobic CH and hydrophilic CO functional groups, and soil hydrophobicity (CH/CO ratio). Mean RI values ranged from 2.19 to 2.75, indicating subcritical (RI > 1.95) SWR. Similar (P > 0.05) RI values were found for the three residue and two N fertilizer treatments, but the trend was for greater RI with increased residue addition (by 12%–26%) and N fertilizer (by 8%). Soil hydrophobicity was significantly greater by 47%–82% for straw returned or supplemented than straw removed treatments, and by 33% for fertilized than unfertilized treatments. Overall, greater residues and N fertilizer had no effect on SWR, but significantly increased soil hydrophobicity.

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Extent of soil water repellency under long-term no-till soils

Geoderma ◽

10.1016/j.geoderma.2008.11.036 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 149 (1-2) ◽

pp. 171-180 ◽

Cited By ~ 45

Author(s):

Humberto Blanco-Canqui ◽

R. Lal

Keyword(s):

Soil Water ◽

Water Repellency ◽

Soil Water Repellency ◽

No Till

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Long-term cropping and fertilization influences soil organic carbon, soil water repellency, and soil hydrophobicity

Canadian Journal of Soil Science ◽

10.1139/cjss-2019-0129 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 100 (3) ◽

pp. 234-244

Author(s):

J.J. Miller ◽

M.L. Owen ◽

X.M. Yang ◽

C.F. Drury ◽

W.D. Reynolds ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Water ◽

Perennial Grass ◽

Water Repellency ◽

Kentucky Bluegrass ◽

Soil Water Repellency ◽

Loam Soil ◽

Soil Hydrophobicity

Long-term (58 yr) cropping and fertilization effects on soil water repellency were determined for a clay loam soil in southwestern Ontario, Canada by measuring soil organic carbon (SOC), soil water repellency index (RI), and soil hydrophobicity (SH). The 12 treatments (non-replicated) included fertilized and non-fertilized legume-based crop rotation (ROT) with four phases (corn–oat–alfalfa–alfalfa), continuous corn (CC), and continuous Kentucky bluegrass (KBG). We hypothesized that SOC, RI, and SH would be greater for each phase of the ROT versus CC, KBG versus CC and ROT, and fertilized versus non-fertilized treatments. Surface (0–10 cm) soil samples were collected in the spring of 2017. Laboratory measurements were conducted to determine SOC, RI (ratio of soil sorptivity to ethanol and water), and SH (ratio of hydrophobic CH– to hydrophilic CO– functional groups). Mean SOC and SH were greater (P ≤ 0.05) for each phase of the ROT versus CC (33% to 2.4 times), KBG versus CC (3.2–6 times) and each phase of ROT (2.2–2.8 times), and fertilized versus non-fertilized rotation oats and KBG (15%–30%). Mean RI was greater for KBG versus CC (4.8 times) and KBG versus each phase of the ROT (3.0–5.5 times) under fertilization only, greater for fertilized versus non-fertilized KBG (6.8 times), but similar for each phase of ROT versus CC. In general, legume-based rotations, perennial grass, and fertilizer enhanced SOC and SH, and to a lesser extent soil RI.

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Effects of a Canary pine forest wildfire (Tenerife, Canary Islands, summer 2007) on selected soil properties and their relationship with short- to medium-term soil water repellency .

Spanish Journal of Soil Science ◽

10.3232/sjss.2013.v3.n1.04 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

Author(s):

Alexis Hernández ◽

Natalia Rodríguez ◽

Marcelino del Arco ◽

Carmen Dolores Arbelo ◽

Jesús Notario del Pino ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Properties ◽

Soil Water ◽

Forest Fires ◽

Sampling Site ◽

Aggregate Stability ◽

Water Repellency ◽

Pine Forest ◽

Soil Water Repellency ◽

Soil Hydrophobicity ◽

The Impact

Forest fires modify the soil environment, often triggering severe soil degradation. In this paper, we studied the impact of a large northern Tenerife Canariy pine forest wildfire on a set of relevant soil properties, focusing on their evolution in time and relationship with soil water repellency. To do this, soils were sampled at four sites (burned and non-burned) and several soil physical and chemical parameters were measured. The results show significant variations for soil pH, electric conductivity (CE1:5), and NH4+-N between burned and non-burned samples, whereas non-significant increases were found in burned soils for oxidizable carbon (Cox), total nitrogen (Ntot) , Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+ and K+, and soil hydrophobicity. The differences caused by the fire were no longer evident one year later. Furthermore, in one sampling site (Vitric Leptosols under low pine forest with a mixed heath/beech tree understory) a wide variation in the content of Cox and Ntot and high water repellency was observed relative to the other sites. These differences can be attributed to the composition of the understory vegetation. Significant correlations between soil hydrophobicity with CE1:5, aggregate stability and the contents of Cox, Ntot, NH4+-N, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+ and K+ were found.

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Petroleum residues as water-repellent substances in weathered nonwettable oil-contaminated soils

Canadian Journal of Soil Science ◽

10.4141/s97-040 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 79 (2) ◽

pp. 367-380 ◽

Cited By ~ 38

Author(s):

Julie L. Roy ◽

William B. McGill ◽

Marvin D. Rawluk

Keyword(s):

Soil Water ◽

Contaminated Soils ◽

Impact Ionization ◽

Water Repellency ◽

Solvent Mixture ◽

Water Repellent ◽

Soil Water Repellency ◽

Petroleum Origin ◽

Soil Hydrophobicity ◽

Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy

Some soils develop severe water repellency several years or decades following oil contamination. We previously reported on the characteristics of three such soils. Here we report on the characteristics of putative water-repellent substances in them. We examined the effectiveness of various polar, nonpolar and amphiphilic solvents for removal of water-repellent substances in three nonwettable soils. Only the amphiphilic solvent mixture isopropanol/14.8 M ammonia (7:3, vol/vol) (IPA/NH4OH) completely eliminated soil water repellency in all three soils. We thus define putative water-repellent substances as those substances whose removal from soil by IPA/NH4OH removes water repellency. High-resolution CPMAS 13C-NMR spectroscopy and thermal desorption followed by conventional gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy with electron impact ionization (GC/EI/MS) and GC/MS with chemical ionization (GC/CI/MS) were used to characterize extracted putative water-repellent substances. We conclude that: (i) the identified representatives of these substances consist mostly of homologous series of long-chain and polycyclic aliphatic organic compounds; namely, n-fatty acids, n-alkanes, and cycloalkanes, and that (ii) they are of petroleum origin rather than plant or microbial origin. Key words: Soil hydrophobicity, petroleum hydrocarbons, soil water repellency, amphiphilic solvents, crude oil, nonwettable soil

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Certain Soil Surfactants Could Become a Source of Soil Water Repellency after Repeated Application

Nanomaterials ◽

10.3390/nano11102577 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (10) ◽

pp. 2577

Author(s):

Enzhan Song ◽

Keith W. Goyne ◽

Robert J. Kremer ◽

Stephen H. Anderson ◽

Xi Xiong

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Water ◽

Water Repellency ◽

Soil Particle ◽

Wetting Agent ◽

Repeated Treatment ◽

Repeated Application ◽

Soil Water Repellency ◽

Soil Hydrophobicity ◽

Wetting Agents

Repeated application of soil surfactants, or wetting agents, is a common practice for alleviating soil water repellency associated with soil organic coatings. However, wetting agents are organic compounds that may also coat soil particle surfaces and reduce wettability. For this experiment, hydrophobic sands from the field and fresh, wettable sands were collected and treated with either a polyoxyalkylene polymer (PoAP) or alkyl block polymer (ABP) wetting agent, or water only treatments served as a control. Following repeated treatment application and sequential washings, dissolved and particulate organic carbon (OC) were detected in the leachates of both sand systems. The total amount of OC recovered in leachates was 88% or less than the OC introduced by the wetting agents, indicating sorption of wetting agent monomers to soil particle surfaces regardless of soil hydrophobicity status. While ABP treatment did not alter solid phase organic carbon (SOC) in the sands studied, PoAP application increased SOC by 16% and 45% which was visible in scanning electronic microscopy images, for hydrophobic and wettable sands, respectively. PoAP application also increased the hydrophobicity of both sands that were studied. In contrast, ABP treatment increased the wettability of hydrophobic sand. Our results provide strong evidence that certain wetting agents may increase soil hydrophobicity and exacerbate wettability challenges if used repeatedly over time.

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Soil Water Repellency and Micro-Aggregate Fractions in Response to Crop Growth Periods in a Purple Soil Sloping Cropland Subjecting to Long-Term Fertilization Management

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.4004061 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Mengdie Feng ◽

Tianyang Li ◽

Binghui He ◽

Lixin Bai ◽

Xiaoyu Wu

Keyword(s):

Soil Water ◽

Water Repellency ◽

Crop Growth ◽

Purple Soil ◽

Soil Water Repellency ◽

Aggregate Fractions

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The relationship of soil water repellency to aliphatic C and kaolin measured using DRIFT

Soil Research ◽

10.1071/sr01091 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 41 (2) ◽

pp. 251 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

I. McKissock ◽

R. J. Gilkes ◽

W. van Bronswijk

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Water ◽

Soil Texture ◽

Water Repellency ◽

Water Repellent ◽

Soil Water Repellency ◽

Organic C ◽

Aliphatic Carbon ◽

Fourier Transform Spectra ◽

Diffuse Reflectance Infrared

In general, water repellency by soil increases with the increase of total organic matter and decreases as the clay and silt contents of the soil increase. The prediction of water repellency from soil organic carbon (OC) content may be improved by examining the types of carbon associated with water repellency. This paper examines the hypothesis that measurement of aliphatic C can provide a better prediction of water repellency than measurement of total OC and also looks at the effects of soil texture on water repellency and the amount of aliphatic C in the soil. DRIFT (diffuse reflectance infrared fourier transform) spectra were measured on sandy soils from the West Midland Sandplains north of Perth in Western Australia. The areas of the aliphatic CH stretching signal (3000–2800/cm) and the OH stretching signal due to kaolin (3750–3570/cm) were used as relative measures of aliphatic carbon and kaolin contents. The relationships of aliphatic C and kaolin to water repellency have been examined and compared with the relationships of water repellency to total OC and clay contents of soil.Hydrophobic organic C as measured by DRIFT gave a better prediction of soil water repellency (r2 = 0.45) than did the total OC (r2 = 0.36). The specific hydrophobicity of organic matter (aliphatic C/OC ratio) increased as sand content increased. However, the direct influence of soil texture on water repellency was of more significance than its indirect influence on the amounts and forms of soil organic matter. A multivariate model including aliphatic C and clay + silt content was the best model for describing water repellency (r2 = 0.58). DRIFT is an effective, rapid method for screening soils for water repellent properties.For individual sand grains there was a weak positive relationship (r2 = 0.26) between the size of the aliphatic CH peak measured from surfaces of sand grains and the water repellency of the grains. A discontinuous aliphatic surface layer was present on the surface of individual sand grains.

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Soil Water Repellency Induced By Long-Term Irrigation with Treated Sewage Effluent

Journal of Environmental Quality ◽

10.2134/jeq2005.0073 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 34 (5) ◽

pp. 1910-1920 ◽

Cited By ~ 119

Author(s):

R. Wallach ◽

O. Ben-Arie ◽

E. R. Graber

Keyword(s):

Soil Water ◽

Water Repellency ◽

Sewage Effluent ◽

Soil Water Repellency ◽

Treated Sewage ◽

Treated Sewage Effluent

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Molecular Characterization of Burned Organic Matter at Different Soil Depths and Its Relationship with Soil Water Repellency: A Preliminary Result

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy11122560 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (12) ◽

pp. 2560

Author(s):

Mirian de Deus ◽

Ana Z. Miller ◽

Nicasio T. Jiménez-Morillo

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Water ◽

Molecular Characterization ◽

Organic Compounds ◽

Soil Layer ◽

Water Repellency ◽

Soil Water Repellency ◽

Burned Soil ◽

Soil Hydrophobicity

Soil water repellency (hydrophobicity) prevents water from wetting or infiltrating soils, triggering changes in the ecosystems. This physical property is directly correlated to the erodibility grade of a soil. Wildfire events may develop, enhance, or destroy soil hydrophobicity, modifying the erodibility grade of a soil and increasing the loss of its most reactive layer (organic matter). To assess the main organic family of compounds (biomarkers) surrogates to fire-induced water repellency, a study was carried out on a fire-affected soil under eucalyptus canopy at two depths (0–2 and 2–5 cm) from Portugal. The potential soil water repellency was measured using the water drop penetration time (WDPT) test. The molecular characterization of hydrophobic biomarkers was carried out using analytical pyrolysis (Py-GC/MS) in combination with multivariate statistical analysis (PCA, MLR). The upper burned soil layer (0–2 cm) displayed a significant contribution of fresh biomass (lignin and polysaccharides), while the deepest (2–5 cm) one showed more humified organic matter (lipids). The soil hydrophobicity was directly correlated to non-polar organic compounds, such as lipids and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and inversely to unspecific aromatic compounds. The combination of mass spectrometry techniques and chemometric analysis allowed obtaining a preliminary forecast model of hydrophobicity degree in fire-affected soil samples under eucalyptus canopy. This analytical approach opens the door to developing more sensitive mathematical models using molecular organic compounds to predict the alteration of hydrophobicity and other soil physical properties induced by fires.

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Effects of Short-term Tillage of a Long-term No-Till Land on Quantity and Quality of Organic C and N in Two Contrasting Soil Types

Sustainable Agriculture Research ◽

10.5539/sar.v5n3p43 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 5 (3) ◽

pp. 43 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Miles Dyck ◽

Sukhdev S. Malhi ◽

Marvin Nyborg ◽

Dyck Puurveen

Keyword(s):

Soil Layer ◽

N Fertilizer ◽

Average Increase ◽

Short Term ◽

Organic C ◽

Soil Layers ◽

Positive Effects ◽

No Till ◽

N Treatment

Pre-seeding tillage of long-term no-till soil may alter soil quality by changing some properties, but the magnitude of change depends on soil type and climatic conditions. Effects of short-term (2 or 3 years) tillage (hereafter called reverse tillage [RT]) of land previously under long-term no-till (NT, 29 or 30 years), with straw management (straw removed [SRem] and straw retained [SRet]) and N fertilizer rate (0, 50 and 100 kg N ha-1 in SRet, and 0 kg N ha-1 in SRem plots) were determined in autumn 2011 on total organic C (TOC) and N (TON), light fraction organic C (LFOC) and N (LFON), and mineralizable N (Nmin) in the 0-7.5, 7.5-15, or 15-20 cm soil layers at Breton (Gray Luvisol [Typic Cryoboralf] loam) and Ellerslie (Black Chernozem [Albic Argicryoll] loam), Alberta, Canada. Short-term RT following long-term NT had no significant negative effect on TOC and TON in soil at both sites, although these parameters tended to be slightly lower in the 0-7.5 cm soil layer with RT compared to NT. For the zero-N treatment, SRet had greater TOC and TON compared to SRem in both soil layers at both sites. On average, over both sites, TOC and TON in the 0-15 cm soil increased by 2.08 Mg C ha-1 and 0.216 Mg N ha-1, respectively. Application of N fertilizer increased TOC and TON in both soil layers, up to the 50 kg N ha-1 rate at Breton (by 7.96 Mg C ha-1 and 0.702 Mg N ha-1 in the 0-15 cm soil) and up to the 100 kg N ha-1 rate at Ellerslie (by 5.11 Mg C ha-1 and 0.439 Mg N ha-1 in the 0-15 cm soil). In both RT and NT treatments, the effects of N rate on TOC and TON were similar for SRet and SRem. There was greater LFOC and LFON in the 7.5-15 cm soil layer with RT than NT at both sites. In the 0-15 cm soil layer, averaged over both sites, RT increased LFOC by 66 kg C ha-1 and LFON by 4.0 kg N ha-1. In both 0-7.5 and 7.5-15 cm soil layers, LFOC and LFON increased with SRet compared to SRem. Averaged over both sites, the increase in LFOC and LFON in the 0-15 cm soil was 97 kg C ha-1 and 3.5 kg N ha-1, respectively. Mass of LFOC and LFON increased dramatically in both soil layers with application of N fertilizer up to the 100 kg N ha-1 rate at both sites, with an average increase of 866 kg C ha-1 and 45.5 kg N ha-1. In the zero-N treatment, LFOC and LFON increased with SRet compared to SRem under RT at Breton and under NT at Ellerslie. On average, tillage had no effect on Nmin in soil, but SRet increased Nmin in soil in both RT and NT, with an average increase of 4.8 kg N ha-1. Application of N fertilizer increased Nmin in the 0-20 cm soil up to 50 kg N ha-1 rate at Breton (by 13.7 kg N ha-1) and up to 100 kg N ha-1 rate at Ellerslie (by 18.6 kg N ha-1). In conclusion, RT had no effect on TOC, TON and Nmin in soil, but LFOC and LFON increased with RT compared to NT in the 7.5-15 cm layer at one site. SRet and N fertilization usually had dramatic positive effects on TOC, TON, LFOC, LFON and Nmin in soil compared to the corresponding treatments.

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