Cottage cheese (acid) whey effects on sodic soil aggregate stability

Abstract

Whey applications reduce a sodic soil's exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) and increase its infiltration

Cheese whey effects on surface soil hydraulic properties

“…The stability of macropores, as well as aggregates, influences soil hydraulic properties (Murphy et al, 1993). Lehrsch et al (1994) found the percentage of stable aggregates in largely undisturbed soil to drop from 64 to 46 as acid whey applications to a silt loam soil in southern Idaho increased from 500 to 1000 t/ha. In a similar manner, at the greater water suction of 150 mm, infiltration into the bottoms of treated furrows again decreased uniformly as whey was applied (Fig.…”

“…To satisfy the wheat's transpiration demand, we used a solid-set sprinkler system to apply 65 ± 16 mm (mean ± S.D.) of water in 24 h on 25 May and, from 30 June to 1 July, 76 ± 14 mm in 28 h. This water commonly has a pH of 8.2, an EC of 0.5 dS/m, and an SAR of 0.65 (Lehrsch et al, 1994).…”

“…Though often fed to poultry or livestock, whey is frequently considered a waste product and at times is applied to land (Watson et al, 1977), nearly always at a cost to the cheese producer. Cheese whey does, however, improve the productivity of soils containing sodium (Robbins & Lehrsch, 1992;Jones et al, 1993;Lehrsch et al, 1994). Where whey is available at little or no cost, it is an attractive organic amendment.…”

“…In a greenhouse study, Kelling and Peterson (1981) found that applications of 250 m 3 /ha of whey or 22.4 t/ha of maize residue resulted in similar improvements in aggregation. Lehrsch et al (1994) found aggregate stability to increase from 25 to 80% when 800 t/ha of acid whey, resulting from the production of creamed cheeses, were surfaceapplied and then incorporated into sodium-affected soils. In general, erosion decreases as aggregate stability increases (Luk, 1979).…”

“…Although the effects of whey on irrigation-induced erosion and soil physical and chemical properties have been studied (Robbins & Lehrsch, 1992;Jones et al, 1993;Lehrsch et al, 1994;Brown et al, 1996), its effects on infiltration rates (at water suctions of 30 mm or more) or unsaturated hydraulic conductivities have received comparatively little attention. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of surface-applied whey on the hydraulic properties of surface soil horizons after a winter wheat crop.…”