Reevaluating the effects of soil organic matter and other properties on available water-holding capacity using the National Cooperative Soil Survey Characterization Database

A 3-yr field study was conducted on two texturally different tailings sites at the Highland Valley Copper Partnership mine in south-central British Columbia to determine the effects of fertilizer and biosolids amendments on selected soil physical, chemical and microbiological properties. Soil bulk density and penetration resistance decreased in the upper 15 cm of tailings with increasing dry biosolids application rates of 50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 Mg ha-1. The addition of biosolids increased gravimetric water retention at field capacity and wilting point, but no significant changes occurred in the gravimetric water-holding capacity as both field and wilting point increased proportionally. Increasing biosolids decreased volumetric water-holding capacity on the silt loam, but had no effect at the sandy site because of decreased bulk density. Soil pH was not impacted by the treatments while electrical conductivity, soil organic matter, total carbon and cation exchange capacity increased with increasing levels of biosolids applied. Biosolids enhanced biological activity by increasing total aerobic, total anaerobic, iron reducing, sulfate reducing and denitrifying microorganisms near the surface. The fertilizer amendment did not alter soil physical or chemical properties from those of the control. The addition of biosolids was more effective at enhancing properties related to soil quality and fertility and therefore more effective for building soil organic matter on reclaimed tailings sites than the traditional use of inorganic fertilizer.

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Small-sized platinum nanoparticles in soil organic matter: Influence on water holding capacity, evaporation and structural rigidity

The Science of The Total Environment ◽

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.133822 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 694 ◽

pp. 133822 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Renata Komendová ◽

Jan Žídek ◽

Michal Berka ◽

Marta Jemelková ◽

Veronika Řezáčová ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Organic Matter ◽

Platinum Nanoparticles ◽

Water Holding Capacity ◽

Structural Rigidity ◽

Water Holding

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Soil Water Holding Capacity Mitigates Downside Risk and Volatility in US Rainfed Maize: Time to Invest in Soil Organic Matter?

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0160974 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. e0160974 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Alwyn Williams ◽

Mitchell C. Hunter ◽

Melanie Kammerer ◽

Daniel A. Kane ◽

Nicholas R. Jordan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Organic Matter ◽

Soil Water ◽

Downside Risk ◽

Water Holding Capacity ◽

Soil Water Holding Capacity ◽

Water Holding

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Raising Soil Organic Matter Content to Improve Water Holding Capacity

EDIS ◽

10.32473/edis-ss661-2017 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2017 (5) ◽

Author(s):

Jehangir H. Bhadha ◽

Jay M. Capasso ◽

Raju Khatiwada ◽

Stewart Swanson ◽

Christopher LaBorde

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Organic Matter ◽

Water Conservation ◽

Organic Matter Content ◽

Calcareous Soils ◽

Matter Content ◽

Water Holding Capacity ◽

Limiting Factors ◽

Soil Organic Matter Content ◽

Water Holding

This article highlights the importance of raising soil organic matter in sandy and calcareous soils as it relates to increasing the water holding capacity of the soil. Farming in Florida on sandy soils has numerous limiting factors; one of which is it's low water holding capacity. By raising the soil organic matter content by just 1% can have a significant increase in soil water holding capacity. This would mean that soil would be able to hold more water for long durations. The prospect of increasiong water holding capacity in soils is great for agricultural productivity, and can have a significant impact on water conservation and usage.

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Impact of biochar amendment on soil organic matter composition in a heavy-metals polluted soil

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-865 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Arturo Santa-Olalla ◽

Elena Fernandez-Boy ◽

Paloma Campos ◽

Heike Knicker ◽

Rafael Lopez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metals ◽

Trace Elements ◽

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Organic Matter ◽

Carbonaceous Material ◽

Water Holding Capacity ◽

The European Union ◽

European Environmental Agency ◽

Water Holding ◽

Biochar Amendment

It is estimated that over 37 % of degraded soils in the European Union are polluted by heavy metals [1], which are non-biodegradable and persistent pollutants in soils. The application of organic amendments to soils for their remediation has been worldwide used [2]. Several studies have shown that biochar, the carbonaceous material produced by pyrolysis of organic residues, has a high potential to stabilize trace elements in soils [3]. Biochars usually have an alkaline pH and high water holding capacity (WHC), large specific surface area and cation exchange capacity, which are appropriate characteristics to reduce the availability of heavy metals in the environment [4]. Nevertheless, recent studies exhibited that biochar recalcitrance could be much lower than assumed [5]. &#160;Beside this, the effects of the addition of biochar as a soil amendment on the composition of soil organic matter (SOM) are largely unknown. Thus, the aim of this study is to investigate the effects of the application of biochars from rice husk (RHB) and olive pit (OPB) in a Typic Xerofluvent polluted with trace-elements after 24 months at field in 12 plots installed at the surroundings of the Guadiamar Green Corridor (37&#176; 23' 7.152"N, 6&#176; 13' 43.175"; Southwest Spain). Specifically, for this study the effects of biochar amendment on soil physical properties (pH, water holding capacity-WHC, moisture, etc), elemental composition, total SOM, the content of oxidizable SOM as well as the content and composition of humic acids (HAs) have been assessed.Biochar application caused an increase in soil pH (around 0.4 units), soil moisture (from 6-7% to 10-18 %) and WHC. In addition, the total organic carbon and HAs content increased slightly. Preliminary results show that biochar could become part of the humified SOM in a shorter time than initially expected. Nevertheless, the spectroscopic analyses (FT-IR and 13C NMR spectroscopy) documented that the qualitative composition of soil HAs was not altered due to the biochar amendment.&#160;References:[1] EEA; 2007. CSI 015. Copenhagen, Denmark: European Environmental Agency.[2] Madej&#243;n, E.; P&#233;rez de Mora, A.; Burgos, P.; Cabrera, F.; 2006. Environ. Pollut. 139, 40-52.[3] Campos, P., De la Rosa, J.M., 2020. Sustainability 12, 6025.Uchimiya, M.; Klasson, K.T.; Wartelle, L.H.; Lima, I.M.; 2011. Chemosphere 82, 1438-1447.[4] Campos, P., Miller, A.Z., Knicker, H., Costa-Pereira, M.F., Merino, A., De la Rosa, J.M., 2020. Waste Manag. 105, 256-267.[5] De la Rosa, J.M.; Rosado, M.; Paneque, M.; Miller, A.Z.; Knicker, H.; 2018. Sci. Tot Environ. 613-614, 969-976.Acknowledgements: The Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (MINEICO), CSIC and AEI/FEDER are thanked for funding the project CGL2016-76498-R. P. Campos thanks the &#8220;Fundaci&#243;n Tatiana P&#233;rez de Guzm&#225;n el Bueno&#8221; for funding her PhD.

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Potential of Sphagnum peat for improving soil organic matter, water holding capacity, bulk density and potato yield in a sandy soil

Plant and Soil ◽

10.1007/s11104-005-0753-6 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 265 (1-2) ◽

pp. 355-365 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

Hong Li ◽

Léon E. Parent ◽

Antoine Karam ◽

Catherine Tremblay

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Organic Matter ◽

Bulk Density ◽

Sandy Soil ◽

Potato Yield ◽

Water Holding Capacity ◽

Sphagnum Peat ◽

Water Holding

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Land Use Change Effects on Soil Quality in Prince Edward County, ON

Inquiry@Queen's Undergraduate Research Conference Proceedings ◽

10.24908/iqurcp.9648 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Kelsey Watts

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Organic Matter ◽

Land Use Change ◽

Bulk Density ◽

Soil Quality ◽

Water Holding Capacity ◽

Total Carbon ◽

Prince Edward County ◽

Effects Of Land Use ◽

Water Holding

Soils play a critical role to society as a medium that facilitates crop production and also contributes to the energy and carbon balance of the Earth System. Land-use change and improper land-use is one of the dominant factors affecting soil erosion and nutrient loss in soils. We examined the effects of land-use change on an Elmbrook clay/clay-loam soil on a farm in Ameliasburg on the northern part of Prince Edward County. Three cover types were examined: a sod field (established for over 10 years), a wheat field (part of a wheat/corn/soybean rotation for 30 years) and an undisturbed deciduous forest. Under each land-use type, cores to a depth of 40 cm were collected along three random 30 m transects (at 8, 16 and 24 m), then divided them into 10 cm increments, combining all similar depth increments along one transect. Soil quality was assessed by analyzing various soil physical and chemical properties. Bulk density of the soil was much higher (1.55 vs. 0.95 g/cm3) in both agricultural ecosystems compared to the forest, but only in the 0-10 cm layer. Soil moisture at 60% water holding capacity was much greater for the forest than the sod and wheat soils. Soil pH was slightly lower in the forest compared to the sod and wheat fields. The sod and wheat fields showed losses of ~52% and ~53% organic matter, respectively, in contrast to the forested area. The greatest differences in organic matter and total carbon were found in the top 10 cm, likely due to the greater accumulation of litter at the ground surface in the forest compared to the agricultural sites. It appears that long-term (10 year) agricultural production has led to a decline in some, but not all, soil quality measures, particularly soil organic matter, bulk density and water holding capacity. These findings are consistent with much of the literature concerning the effects of land-use change on soil quality, and highlight the need to develop improved management systems to minimize losses in soil quality that can lead to declines in the productivity potential of soils over time.

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