Effects of moisture condition and freeze/thaw cycles on surface soil aggregate size distribution and stability

Wang, E., Cruse, R. M., Chen, X. and Daigh, A. 2012. Effects of moisture condition and freeze/thaw cycles on surface soil aggregate size distribution and stability. Can. J. Soil Sci. 92: 529–536. Freeze/thaw cycles can affect soil aggregate stability, which in turn impacts wind and water erosion. The objectives of this laboratory study were: (1) to determine the effect of variable freeze/thaw cycles and soil water conditions on aggregate size distribution and stability; and (2) to evaluate differences in aggregate size distribution and stability between disturbed soil and undisturbed soil cores as affected by freeze/thaw cycles and soil water conditions. Surface soil was collected before freezing in late fall of 2009. Aggregates isolated from disturbed soil or intact soil cores were subjected to a factorial combination of 3 gravimetric water content treatments: 0.15 m3 m−3, 0.23 m3 m−3 or 0.30 m3 m−3, and 3 freeze/thaw treatments: 0, 3, or 9 cycles. A freeze/thaw cycle involved soil freezing at –10∘C for 24 h, followed by thawing at 5∘C for 24 h. Most aggregate size classes were affected significantly (P<0.05) by freeze/thaw cycles except for wet-sieved aggregates >5 mm. Dry-sieved aggregates were relatively more sensitive to the freeze/thaw treatment than wet-sieved aggregates. The mean weight diameter (MWD) of dry-sieved aggregates was significantly (P<0.05) greater at 0.30 m3 m−3 than 0.15 m3 m−3 water content, but the opposite trend was observed for MWD of wet aggregates and aggregate stability. There was a significant (P<0.05) response of the MWD in dry-sieved aggregates to the interactive freeze/thaw×water content effect that differed for aggregates obtained from disturbed soil and those in the undisturbed soil core, but not for the MWD of wet-sieved aggregates and aggregate stability.

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Aggregate size distribution and stability of an oxisol under legume-based and pure grass pastures in the eastern Colombian savannas

Soil Research ◽

10.1071/sr9950153 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 33 (1) ◽

pp. 153 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

AJ Gijsman ◽

RJ Thomas

Keyword(s):

Size Distribution ◽

Soil Aggregates ◽

Aggregate Stability ◽

Aggregate Size ◽

Soil Aggregate ◽

Hot Water ◽

Aggregate Size Distribution ◽

Carbohydrate Concentration ◽

Stability Measurement ◽

Water Extractable

This study evaluated soil aggregate size distribution and stability of an Oxisol under improved grass-only or grass-legume pastures, established in previously native savanna. Three grass-legume combinations were included at various stocking rates. In all treatments and soil layers, soils were well aggregated, having more than 90% of their weight in macroaggregates (>250 �m). The addition of legumes to pastures did not affect the soil aggregate size distribution, although aggregates showed somewhat more stability against slaking. An increase in stocking rate negatively affected both average aggregate size and aggregate stability. Aggregates showed little or no dispersion of clay particles in any treatment. A positive correlation was found between wet aggregate stability and hot-water extractable carbohydrate concentration, supporting the hypothesis that these carbohydrates equate with plant-derived or microbial polysaccharides which glue soil aggregates together. It is suggested that determination of hot-water extractable carbohydrates may serve as a useful indicator of small differences in aggregate stability, even when these differences are not evident in the stability measurement itself.

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Soil aggregate size distribution and total organic carbon in intra-aggregate fractions as affected by addition of biochar and organic amendments

Polish Journal of Soil Science ◽

10.17951/pjss.2020.53.1.41 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 53 (1) ◽

pp. 41

Author(s):

George O. Odugbenro ◽

Zhihua Liu ◽

Yankun Sun

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Total Organic Carbon ◽

Size Distribution ◽

Microbial Biomass Carbon ◽

Soil Depth ◽

Aggregate Stability ◽

Aggregate Size ◽

Soil Aggregate ◽

Font Size ◽

Aggregate Size Distribution

A two-year field trial on maize (Zea mays L.) production was established to determine the influence of biochar, maize straw, and poultry manure on soil aggregate stability, aggregate size distribution, total organic carbon (TOC), and soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC). Seven treatments with four replications, namely CK, control; S, 12.5 Mg ha-1 straw; B1, 12.5 Mg ha-1 biochar; B2, 25 Mg ha-1 biochar; SB1, straw + 12.5 Mg ha-1 biochar; SB2, straw + 25 Mg ha-1 biochar; and M, 25 Mg ha-1 manure were tested at four soil depths (0–10, 10–20, 20–30, and 30–40 cm). Aggregates were grouped into large macro-aggregates (5–2 mm), small macro-aggregates (2–0.25 mm), micro-aggregates (0.25–0.053 mm) and silt + clay (<0.053 mm). Biochar, straw, and manure applications all had significant effects (p < 0.05) on aggregate stability, with B2 at 20 cm soil depth showing the greatest increase (62.1%). SB1 of small macro-aggregate fraction showed the highest aggregate proportion (50.59% ± 10.48) at the 20–30 cm soil depth. The highest TOC was observed in SB2 (40.9 g kg-1) of large macro-aggregate at 10–20 cm soil depth. Treatment effects on soil MBC was high, with B1 showing the greatest value (600.0 µg g-1) at the 20–30 cm soil depth. Our results showed that application of biochar, straw, and manure to soil increased aggregate stability, TOC as well as MBC.<br style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" />

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Study of soil aggregate breakdown dynamics under low dispersive ultrasonic energies with sedimentation and X-ray attenuation

International Agrophysics ◽

10.1515/intag-2015-0057 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 29 (4) ◽

pp. 501-508 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jasmin Schomakers ◽

Franz Zehetner ◽

Axel Mentler ◽

Franz Ottner ◽

Herwig Mayer

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Organic Matter ◽

Size Distribution ◽

Aggregate Stability ◽

Aggregate Size ◽

Soil Aggregate ◽

X Ray ◽

Aggregate Size Distribution ◽

Aggregate Breakdown ◽

Wet Sieving

Abstract It has been increasingly recognized that soil organic matter stabilization is strongly controlled by physical binding within soil aggregates. It is therefore essential to measure soil aggregate stability reliably over a wide range of disruptive energies and different aggregate sizes. To this end, we tested highaccuracy ultrasonic dispersion in combination with subsequent sedimentation and X-ray attenuation. Three arable topsoils (notillage) from Central Europe were subjected to ultrasound at four different specific energy levels: 0.5, 6.7, 100 and 500 J cm-3, and the resulting suspensions were analyzed for aggregate size distribution by wet sieving (2 000-63 μm) and sedimentation/X-ray attenuation (63-2 μm). The combination of wet sieving and sedimentation technique allowed for a continuous analysis, at high resolution, of soil aggregate breakdown dynamics after defined energy inputs. Our results show that aggregate size distribution strongly varied with sonication energy input and soil type. The strongest effects were observed in the range of low specific energies (< 10 J cm-3), which previous studies have largely neglected. This shows that low ultrasonic energies are required to capture the full range of aggregate stability and release of soil organic matter upon aggregate breakdown.

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Vis-NIR spectroscopic assessment of soil aggregate stability and aggregate size distribution in the Belgian Loam Belt

Geoderma ◽

10.1016/j.geoderma.2019.113958 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 357 ◽

pp. 113958 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Pu Shi ◽

Fabio Castaldi ◽

Bas van Wesemael ◽

Kristof Van Oost

Keyword(s):

Size Distribution ◽

Aggregate Stability ◽

Aggregate Size ◽

Soil Aggregate ◽

Soil Aggregate Stability ◽

Aggregate Size Distribution

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Fourier and Granulometry Methods on 3D Images of Soil Surfaces for Evaluating Soil Aggregate Size Distribution

Applied Engineering in Agriculture ◽

10.13031/aea.32.10938 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 32 (5) ◽

pp. 609-615 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Keyword(s):

Size Distribution ◽

Aggregate Size ◽

Soil Aggregate ◽

3D Images ◽

Aggregate Size Distribution

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Variation in soil aggregate–size distribution affects the dissipation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in long-term field-contaminated soils

Environmental Science and Pollution Research ◽

10.1007/s11356-017-9919-z ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 24 (28) ◽

pp. 22332-22339 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ran Wei ◽

Jinzhi Ni ◽

Weifeng Chen ◽

Yusheng Yang

Keyword(s):

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons ◽

Size Distribution ◽

Aromatic Hydrocarbons ◽

Contaminated Soils ◽

Aggregate Size ◽

Soil Aggregate ◽

Aggregate Size Distribution ◽

Polycyclic Aromatic ◽

Term Field

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A model for characterizing dry soil aggregate size distribution

CATENA ◽

10.1016/j.catena.2020.105018 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 198 ◽

pp. 105018

Author(s):

Zhongling Guo ◽

Chunping Chang ◽

Xueyong Zou ◽

Rende Wang ◽

Jifeng Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Size Distribution ◽

Aggregate Size ◽

Soil Aggregate ◽

Aggregate Size Distribution ◽

Dry Soil

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Biochar altered native soil organic carbon by changing soil aggregate size distribution and native SOC in aggregates based on an 8-year field experiment

The Science of The Total Environment ◽

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134829 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 708 ◽

pp. 134829 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Zhencai Sun ◽

Zhengcheng Zhang ◽

Kun Zhu ◽

Zhimin Wang ◽

Xiaorong Zhao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Field Experiment ◽

Size Distribution ◽

Aggregate Size ◽

Soil Aggregate ◽

Aggregate Size Distribution ◽

Native Soil

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Lithology and climate controlled soil aggregate size distribution and organic carbon stability in the Peruvian Andes

10.5194/soil-2019-40 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Songyu Yang ◽

Boris Jansen ◽

Samira Absalah ◽

Rutger L. van Hall ◽

Karsten Kalbitz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Size Distribution ◽

Aggregate Size ◽

Soil Aggregate ◽

Soil Aggregation ◽

Soil Mineralogy ◽

Aggregate Size Distribution ◽

Soc Stocks ◽

Soc Mineralization

Abstract. Recent studies indicate that climate change influences soil mineralogy by altering weathering processes, and thus impacts soil aggregation and organic carbon (SOC) stability. Alpine ecosystems of the Neotropical Andes are characterized by high SOC stocks, which are important to sustain ecosystem services. However, climate change in the form of altered precipitation patterns can potentially affect soil aggregation and SOC stability with potentially significant effects on the soil’s ecosystem services. This study aimed to investigate the effects of precipitation and lithology on soil aggregation and SOC stability in the Peruvian Andean grasslands, and assessed whether occlusion of organic matter (OM) in aggregates controls SOC stability. For this, samples were collected from limestone soils (LSs) and acid igneous rock soils (ASs) from two sites with contrasting precipitation levels. We used a dry-sieving method to quantify aggregate size distribution, and applied a 76-day soil incubation with intact and crushed aggregates to investigate SOC stability in dependence on aggregation. SOC stocks ranged from 153±27 to 405 ± 42 Mg ha−1, and the highest stocks were found in the LSs of the wet site. We found lithology rather than precipitation to be the key factor regulating soil aggregate size distribution, as indicated by coarse aggregates in the LSs and fine aggregates in the ASs. SOC stability estimated by specific SOC mineralization rates decreased with precipitation in the LSs, but minor differences were found between wet and dry sites in the ASs. Aggregate destruction had a limited effect on SOC mineralization, which indicates that occlusion of OM in aggregates played a minor role in OM stabilization. This was further supported by inconsistent patterns of aggregate size distribution compared to the patterns of SOC stability. We propose that OM adsorption on mineral surfaces is the major OM stabilization mechanism controlling SOC stocks and stability. The results highlight the interactions between precipitation and lithology on SOC stability, which are likely controlled by soil mineralogy in relation to OM input.

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Effects of heating on some soil physical properties related to its hydrological behaviour in two north-western Spanish soils

International Journal of Wildland Fire ◽

10.1071/wf03068 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 195 ◽

Cited By ~ 70

Author(s):

R. García-Corona ◽

E. Benito ◽

E. de Blas ◽

M. E. Varela

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Hydraulic Conductivity ◽

Physical Properties ◽

Size Distribution ◽

Aggregate Stability ◽

Aggregate Size ◽

Total Porosity ◽

Water Repellency ◽

Aggregate Size Distribution ◽

Distribution Water

Two forest soils rich in organic matter but differing in texture (sandy loam and silty loam) were heated under controlled laboratory conditions in order to examine the consequences of the heating effect that accompanies the passage of a fire on the physical properties of soil. Three samples of both soils were heated for 30 min in a muffle furnace at temperatures of 25, 170, 220, 380 and 460°C. At each temperature, the following parameters were determined: dry aggregate size distribution, water aggregate stability, total porosity, pore size distribution, water repellency and hydraulic conductivity. Heating the soils at 170 and 220°C caused no significant changes in aggregate size distribution or total porosity but increased water aggregate stability and the volume of pores 0.2–30 μm. Also, increased water repellency and strongly decreased the hydraulic conductivity. All parameters underwent much more dramatic changes at 380 and 460°C that can be ascribed to the combustion of organic matter. At such temperatures, water repellency was destroyed and the low hydraulic conductivity can be attributed to the aggregate breakdown observed under dry and wet conditions.

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