Soil stabilisation by water repellency under no-till management for soils with contrasting mineralogy and carbon quality

No-till soil management is common around the globe, but the impacts on soil structural quality varies depending on cropping practice and inherent soil properties. This study explored water repellency as a driver of soil stabilization, as affected by soil mineralogy, granulometry and organic carbon quality in three Mollisols and one Vertisol under no-till management and with different levels of cropping intensity. The studied soils were located along a west-east textural gradient in the northern part of the Pampean region of Argentina. Cropping intensity treatments evaluated in each one of the soils were: Poor Agricultural Practices (PAP) close to a monoculture, Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) involving a diverse crop rotation and more targeted inputs, and the soil in the surrounding natural environment (NE) as a reference. NE had the greatest aggregate stability (MWD) of all cropping intensities, with GAP being more stable than PAP for Mollisols and PAP being greater than GAP for the Vertisol. This trend matched the Repellency Index (Rindex), with greater Rindex associated with greater MWD, including the difference between the Mollisols and Vertisol. However, the persistence of water repellency, measured by the Water Drop Penetration Time (WDPT) test followed the trend NE > GAP > PAP regardless of soil type. The increases in Rindex and MWD were related to higher intensification as measured by the Crop Sequence Index, and decreased with greater soybean occurrence in the sequence. Both WDPT and Rindex were closely related to aggregate stability, particularly for Mollisols. These results highlight the importance of considering the inherent soil characteristics texture and mineralogy to understand aggregate stabilization mediated by water repellency. Good correlations between soil water repellency, organic carbon fractions and aggregate stability were found. Under no-till, crop rotations can be altered to increase soil stability by inducing greater water repellency in the soils. The findings suggest that water repellency is a major property influencing soil structure stabilization, thus providing a useful quality indicator

Behrends Kraemer F., P. Hallett, H.J.M. Morrás, L. Garibaldi, D. J. Cosentino, M. Duval, J.A. Galantini. 2019. Soil stabilisation by water repellency under no-till management for soils with contrasting mineralogy and carbon quality. Geoderma 355: 113902. Doi 10.1016/j.geoderma.2019.113902

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Texture influence on soil phosphorus content and distribution in semiarid Pampean grasslands

Soil texture can modify the content and dynamic of soil phosphorus (P). The objective of this work was to study the P form contents associated to physical fractionation of SOM in soils with different texture. Soil samples (0-0.15 m) were obtained from 27 sites with different texture in a twenty five years old pasture located in the Experimental Station of Bordenave, Argentina (63°01’20”W; 37°51’55”S). Soil particle size fractions were obtained by wet sieving separating the fine (0-100 µm) and coarse (100-2000 µm) fractions. Soil organic matter was determined in each fraction, mineral associated (MOM) and particulate organic matter (POM), respectively. Extractable (Pe), organic (Po), inorganic (Pi) and total extractable (Pt) phosphorus was determined and occluded P (Pocl) was calculated as the difference [Pt - (Po+Pi)] in the whole soil and the particles fractions. In these soils, texture determines P reserves and the equilibrium of its different forms. Available P forms (estimated by Pe) was related to the inorganic form present the fine fraction of the soil. Phosphorus content in its different forms is closely associated with soil fractions. Soils with higher content of fine fraction present the coarse fraction enriched in Po. All the studied P forms were higher in fine textured soils than in coarse ones, however, P forms in particle size fractions showed different tendencies. In coarse textured soils, Po in MOM was lower than fine textured ones. However, P content in MOM was richer and in POM was poorer than in fine textured soils. The available P, estimated with Pe content, comes predominantly from the inorganic pool and it is associated to the fine fraction of the soil. Phosphorus content in its different forms is closely associated with soil size fractions. It was proposed a conceptual model in which size fractionation of SOM and P forms determination can be represented to a better understanding of soil P equilibriums.

Suñer L., Galantini J.A. 2015. Texture influence on soil phosphorus content and distribution in semiarid Pampean grasslands. International Journal of Plant & Soil Science (ISSN: 2320-7035) Vol.: 7, Issue: 2 109-120, no. IJPSS.2015.136, 

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